Did You Know?

As leaves fall in the autumn, they quickly begin to decompose, and rain washes the natural fertilizers out of them. When leaves fall in a forest or on your lawn, these fertilizers get recycled into the soil and trapped there, helping plants grow in the spring. Similarly, when leaves or other yard waste are left on impervious, paved areas – rain washes those natural fertilizers into storm drains in your neighborhood that lead right to our waterways without first going to a water treatment plant.

• Never dump leaves in wetlands or waterways (it’s harmful and illegal).

• Try composting your yard waste at home in an area away from wetlands and storm drains.

• Keep paved areas and storm drains clear of leaves.

• Mow your leaves with a mulching mower and let them stay them on the lawn as a natural fertilizer.

Read more tips on how you can prevent stormwater pollution: https://www.centralmastormwater.org/

This post is courtesy of Central Mass Regional Stormwater Coalition