Other Options and Tips to Manage Leaf and Yard Trimmings

Try a backyard composter. Adding leaf and yard trimmings to your fruit and vegetable waste in a backyard composter will help achieve the carbon to nitrogen ratio required for proper decomposition of organic waste.
- Backyard composters can be purchased at hardware stores and garden centres. They are also available for $48.03 at the Recycling Centre located on Frobisher Street in Sudbury, while supplies last. Check out these Pinterest DIY backyard composter options to make one yourself.
- Some perks of backyard composting? Not needing to bag materials, buy bags, or wait for the collection day every other week. You will also be left with a nutrient-rich, organic soil that retains water well, prevents erosion, promotes biodiversity, and can be used to nourish your lawn and plants without buying or using chemical fertilizers.
In the fall, add leaves to your gardens and flower beds to enrich the soil and help reduce weeds.
Scatter leaf mulch around bushes, shrubs and trees for protection during the winter. Aim for mulch depth of 6-7 cm (2-3 inches).
Mulch leaves with the lawn mower and leave them, along with grass clippings, on your lawn. They will decompose quickly, help reduce moisture loss and release valuable nutrients back into the soil. Check out the Grass Recycling section on this webpage for more tips and benefits of grasscycling.

Shake it off! Remember that soil is not acceptable in leaf and yard trimmings. If you have excess soil from potted plants, weeding or edging, shake it onto your garden beds or lawn before placing the plant portions with your leaf and yard trimmings. Leaving the clumps to dry a day or two will make it easier to remove any excess soil. You can also add soil to a backyard composter.
Remember that crab apples must be placed in certified compostable bags in your Green Cart, and should not be mixed in with your leaf and yard trimmings. This is true of all fruits and vegetables, or treenuts. You could also put them in a backyard composter.
Consider delaying your fall and spring yard and garden cleanups. Leaves and stems can serve as shelter for some pollinators and wildlife during the winter. This Weather Network video further explains why we shouldn’t clean up our yards too early.
Wait until your leaf and yard trimmings are dry before collecting and bagging them. This will help keep the weight down and the bags in good condition.
Clean up your yard close to your every other week collection day. This will reduce the amount of time your leaf and yard trimmings sit in bags or containers.
Keep your bags, bundles and containers covered and away from the roadside until collection day, to prevent messes and keep the bags intact.
Don’t forget to leave space in your paper bags to roll the tops down, creating handles for the collectors to lift and carry them.