Leaves, Leaves, Everywhere!

Fall in Middle Tennessee is a treat! But what do you do with all the brightly colored autumn leaves and summer growth now faded?

Fall leaves can cause damage to lawns and storm water drains if not properly mulched, composted or disposed of. Blowing or raking leaves into the street causes problems for you, your neighbors, and the city if storm water drains get clogged and cannot adequately drain rainwater. This can contribute to flooding. Make sure to rake up and clear the area around ditches and storm drains. If you have a neighborhood association, remind your neighbors to keep the area around the neighborhood drains clear of debris and trash. Whatever goes into storm water drains goes directly into our city’s streams and rivers.

Fallen leaves, what professionals call “leaf litter,” accumulate under trees and can suffocate grass and other plantings if not properly mulched. Here are four easy options to handle your fallen splendor. All you need is a few tools and a few helping hands.

Flowerbed Nutrients

Once the fun of jumping in leaf piles is over, you can use your electric lawnmower to shred leaves into mulch size pieces that then can be spread over flowerbeds and your lawn to provide nutrients all winter.

Compost

Another option is to collect the mulched leaves and add them to your compost. Add fresh cut grass or a compost activator to get the compost pile cooking! For more information on composting go to the Metro Nashville Waste and Recycling website. If you don’t have a composter (or want to start your holiday shopping early), you can purchase a backyard compost bin at the Omohundro Convenience Center.

Brush and Yard Waste Collection

Metro Nashville’s Urban and General Services Districts provides brush and yard waste collection four times a year at no charge. To check the dates, download the Nashville Waste Wizard app and sign up for alerts. All leaves must be bagged in biodegradable paper bags for collection. You can purchase biodegradable paper lawn and leaf bags at your local grocery or hardware store. Metro will not pick up yard waste in plastic bags. Remember that you can always take your bagged leaves to one of Metro Nashville’s drop off sites.

Donate

If you want to give back to your community, non-profits like The Nashville Food Project (TNFP) would love to use your bagged leaves to feed their gardens. For more specific information go to The Nashville Food Project's contact page or call 615-460-0172.

Please protect our waterways and your property by properly handling leaves. Happy Fall, from Socket!