Straight from the USDA's lips to your tidy neighbor's ears: "Rather than the tedious task of raking and bagging leaves and taking them to the landfill, the best way to reduce greenhouse gases and benefit your garden is to leave the leaves!" Leaf litter provides habitat for many critters–bugs, frogs, lizards– that are critical for our gardens and also become a food source for birds.
Fallen leaves protect soil from erosion caused by rain, help regulate the moisture content of the soil, and transfer organic matter to the soil as they decompose. Of course, we know that fallen leaves can also clog storm drains, so removing them from streets and gutters is essential. If you live in a neighborhood with old, established street trees and have an abundance of leaf litter, use what you can as mulch in your yard and offer the remainder to Portland's Leaf Day composting program instead of tucking them into a landfill in plastic trash bags.
Find out if you live in a Leaf Day district here>>
Learn how to buy Leaf Day compost (from the 5,000+ tons of leaves collected annually) here>>
Photo by Susan Jones on Unsplash