How does raking leaves help the environment

Yes, you heard that right, leave the leaves where they lie. Although people often rake and bag leaves to prevent their lawns from being smothered and to make yards look better, in most cases, you're fine not moving them. In fact, many environmental experts say raking leaves and removing them from your property is not only bad for your lawn but for the environment as a well.

Instead, use your lawn mower and chop the leaves up. Mulching your leaves also helps wildlife. Insects depend on leaf litter in the winter to provide protective habitat and food. Those insects in turn become winter food for other animals like birds. The only reason to pick up the rake this year is to help spread the love of your leaves to other parts of the yard or garden that can use this natural fertilizer.

Not only does mulching your leaves help your grass and soil, it also helps reduce greenhouse gases and limits waste. These bags of leaves not only take up space, they also can break down with other organic waste to create methane, a potent greenhouse gas which exacerbates climate change. If you must rake your leaves, check to see if your city or county has a composting program—some programs even give you mulch in return.

Your grass and your neighbors will thank you. Fallen leaves often harbor disease, which can overwinter when the leaves are left on the ground. These diseases are usually host specific. For example, a disease that affects deciduous trees won't damage grass or perennials.

Raking them up in the fall, though, can reduce the diseases you encounter the following spring and summer. Raking the leaves might keep your lawn healthy and neat, but it can create environmental issues, depending on what you do with those raked leaves.

Bags of leaves often end up in landfills. In some communities, residents rake leaves into the streets, and city workers sweep them up. The problem with this strategy is that many of the leaves are washed into gutters where they make their way to streams and waterways. Here, they release nitrogen and phosphorus into the water, which encourages algae growth.

Excessive algae growth depletes the water of oxygen and kills fish and other aquatic life. If you do remove your leaves, the best thing to do is cut them up and drop them in a plant or flower bed or another part of your lawn that doesn't get leaf cover, Mizejewski said. That will provide a natural fertilizer and mulch for those parts of your yard.

If you're worried the leaves will blow away though they should be fine , lightly water them, Mizejewski said. If you don't have a plant or flower bed or have too many leaves, start a compost bin, he and Sandor advise. Some municipalities also have compost programs, which allow you to send your leaves off and get mulch back, Mizejewski said, but composting at your house is better so you don't have the added pollution of trucks and off-site machines taking and processing the leaves.

Facebook Twitter Email. Raking leaves again this fall? Stop right now. Ryan W. Show Caption. Hide Caption. This is why leaves change color each fall. The fall foliage we see each autumn is thanks to a lot of science.