Every fall, leaves pile up in Princeton’s streets, creating safety hazards for bikers, blocking stormwater drains, and feeding unhealthy algae blooms in our waterways. Fortunately, there’s a solution.
Every fall, leaves pile up in Princeton’s streets, creating safety hazards for bikers, blocking stormwater drains, and feeding unhealthy algae blooms in our waterways. Fortunately, there’s a solution.
Leave your leaves where they can do some good for your soil.
It’s easy to make the switch:
Can’t keep leaves on your property? Instead, bag them and leave them out according to Princeton’s leaf schedule and rules. Place bags on the curb, not in the street, and only put loose leaves into bags (no sticks or brush).
Do you use a landscaper? Share these ideas, as well as this letter in English or Spanish, with your landscaper. The municipality also maintains a list of registered landscapers who use mulch mowers and other sustainable lawn practices.
Leaves a plenty. One tree could easily have tens of thousands of leaves.
Reuse it or lose it. Left in piles by the curb, leaves release concentrated nutrients, which drains into our waterways and feeds unhealthy algae blooms. In contrast, when leaves are mulched and scattered around the yard, your lawn has the opportunity to absorb and use these nutrients.
Need mulch? Leaf mulch is an inexpensive mulch that you already have available. Skip the bags from the hardware store and use your leaves for moisture retention and weed prevention instead.
Sustainable Princeton is a non-partisan, non-profit organization in Princeton, NJ with a mission to inspire our community to develop and implement solutions that positively impact our environment. It’s our vision that Princeton be a model town that examines every action through the lens of sustainability ensuring a healthy environment, a strong economy, and the wellbeing of all community members now and in the future.
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