With fall in full swing, Waste Management of Mississippi reminds customers that recycled leaves and grass clippings can be used as a fertilizer to help produce healthier lawns, plants and flowers.
“It is estimated that up to one-third of household garbage is organic waste from yards and kitchens, which is just the type of material that can be used for composting, rather than going into our landfills,” said Tricia Farace, community affairs manager of Waste Management of Mississippi. “Whether you do it yourself at home or purchase compost or mulch, yard trimmings can serve as a rich nutrient for your soil.”
Both compost and mulch can be made from leaves, but they are not the same. Compost is made up of decomposed leaves and other organic matter that is mixed into soil as a nutrient. Mulch is a top cover that goes around plants to prevent the growth of weeds and protect the soil from temperature changes. Leaves used for mulch should not be fully decomposed; instead, they should be shredded and kept in their own bin until you are ready to use them.
Composting takes a little more work, and involves putting leaves, yard trimmings and kitchen scraps into a compost bin where aeration and moisture are controlled to facilitate the decomposition process. The materials need to be periodically mixed, turned over and watered to encourage the process, which eventually produces a rich soil amendment.
In addition to composting and mulching, grasscycling is a process that not only saves time and money, but also protects the environment and reduces the time and effort usually put into lawn care. Grasscycling simply means leaving the grass clippings in place on your lawn after you mow. The clippings quickly decompose, providing proper nutrition to fertilize the soil. This process naturally eliminates the waste otherwise created from mowing the lawn.
One of the most time consuming jobs of garbage collectors is picking up leaves or grass clippings left in a pile in the street. Waste Management encourages customers to bag leaves or clippings if they are going to leave them for pickup.
“We can all make our community even more beautiful by helping nature through the recycling process, by composting, mulching and grasscycling,” Farace said. “It’s also important that as we care for our gardens and yards we are careful to make sure that as we water or fertilize, these materials, pet waste and litter are kept out of our storm drains, which discharge into many natural waterways and oceans."
Local News
Don’t leave leaves behind
Leroy Morse donates flags for cemetery plots purchased by VFW post
- Local News
-
-
High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
-
Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. -
Inmate escapes custody
Mississippi Department of Corrections officials said Monday afternoon an inmate escaped from custody Friday and is still being sought.
Officials said Johnny Hall Jr. escaped from two Wilkinson County Correctional Facility officers’ custody while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune. Preliminary information indicates Hall left the officers and jumped into a waiting black vehicle with a white female driver. -
Citizen’s Police Academy begins today
The work law enforcement conducts on a daily basis is often misunderstood by the general public.
Officials at the Meridian Police Department developed a program to inform and educate citizens on what police do in serving and protecting the population. The program, The Citizen's Police Academy, has been gaining speed for a couple of years since it was first offered. Officials said it shows residents are interested in police work and how it is conducted. - Woman: decongestant brought meth charge in Alabama
-
Star Of The Week: Dominique Goodwin-Jenkins
-
SoMiSPO brings steel drum rhythms to MCC
-
About face
Nothing is forever in the military and after a months-long battle to secure a C-27J Spartan flying mission and its field training unit at Key Field and the 186th Air Refueling Wing, it seems all of that is flying the way of the KC-135 tankers that used to fill the skies over Meridian.
- Marriages & Divorces: Sunday, February 5, 2012
- More Local News Headlines
-
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
Raw Video: Giants Celebrate Another Super Bowl
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Greek Leaders Seek Deal As Bankruptcy Looms
Bernanke: Recovery Depends on Consumer Spending
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Eastwood in Super Bowl Ad 'Compassionate'
Stranded Fishermen Rescued From Bay of Green Bay
Analyst: Outside Troops Won't Intervene in Syria
Police: Father Planned Deadly Fire for Some Time
US, UK Pressure on Syria; More Homs Violence
Raw Video: Mass Killer Wants Medal, Freedom
Court Strips Contador of Tour De France Title
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Romney Latest Poll to Join Let-me-explain Club
