Conservation Advisory Council Recommends Mulching in Place

The Scarsdale's Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) and the Sustainability Committee of the Scarsdale Forum agree: the time has come for the Village to encourage residents to let leaves mulch rather than sweep them to the curb for pick-up. The CAC, which is an advisory board to the Board of Trustees, has produced a report advising them on options with regard to Village leaf collection, an activity that costs Scarsdale about $800K annually and requires over a thousand truck trips to distant disposal sites.

Years ago the Village composted leaves locally but this practice was discontinued after neighbor complaints. In recent years, "mulching in place", the practice of finely grinding leaves so that they settle into lawns and contribute back valuable nutrients, has taken root as an alternative practice particularly here in Westchester. Leaf mulching not only reduces the Village's cost of leaf collection but also the use of harmful (and increasingly banned) synthetic fertilizers. The Scarsdale Village Board adopted a Leaf Mulching Resolution in December, 2011. It has since begun to educate residents in leaf mulching, with demonstration projects held last year in Chase and de Lima Park. Mulching in place actually is an option that any lawn-loving suburbanite should love, as it can measurably improve soil quality beyond the "empty calories" of store bought fertilizers.

The CAC chose not to advocate a particular policy but to instead provide Trustees with a menu of options. Numerous communities nationwide were surveyed and contacted, including all municipalities in southern Westchester. The CAC found that basic options for Village leaf collection actually are few:

-Do not collect leaves, requiring residents to dispose of them through other means, such as landscapers.

-Collect only bagged leaves, much as the Village now collects other yard waste. About half of the communities in southern Westchester do not vacuum leaves, most recently Greenburgh, New Rochelle and Irvington. Reports are that the transition to bagging went surprisingly smoothly.

-Vacuuming, which is what the Village now does.

The alternative to any of these Village programs would, of course, be leaf mulching by residents. Recognizing that vacuuming is most efficient for homeowners, the CAC proposed various alternatives incorporating it: a gradual reduction in leaf vacuuming frequency so that residents could slowly adapt to other means of disposal and a leaf vacuuming fee that residents could avoid by bagging, having landscapers haul leaves or, most desired, mulching in place.

The CAC advocates that regardless of which option the Village chooses, leaf mulching outreach to residents be immediately stepped up. Its rationale is that as changes in leaf collection policy will increasingly make residents open to alternatives, they should be educated in advance about leaf mulching. The CAC has prepared a survey to gauge current resident leaf practices and interest; it will publicize this survey in the Fall.

The Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) is an advisory body to the Village Board of Trustees. The Council studies issues affecting the local environment and also maintenance of the Village's "natural" character. Issues may include open space, wetlands, trees, energy conservation, and other "sustainability" issues.

The CAC's leaf report is available here under "Exploring Leaf Collection Options".