Published: October 27, 2009 09:18 am      

Don't burn leaves

One of the archaic traditions that continues in rural parts of Elkhart County is the burning of leaves each fall. This practice should stop because smoldering piles of leaves pollute the air, cause health problems for many people and create fire hazards.

This past Sunday the air was clear and clean in the city of Goshen. That situation came about because several years ago the City Council banned the burning of leaves in the city.



There was a lot of griping at first about that ban, but the city’s Street Department crew hustles around each fall and collects leaves from the curbs. The leaf collection service has made our city a much healthier place to live as we don’t have to breathe the noxious chemicals emitted by burning leaves.

But out in the county there is no collection service. The County Commissioners considered the idea of leaf collection some years ago and decided the logistics were insurmountable. We agree with that.

County residents shouldn’t burn leaves just because they can. It is far better for homeowners to compost their leaves. Composting is one of the easiest and most Earth-friendly things a homeowner can undertake. The process is easy. Simply collect the leaves into a pile or place them in a wooden bin or use wire fencing to create a container for the leaves. Then all that is needed is a pitchfork to turn the leaves every few weeks to get oxygen mixed in. By next summer there should be rich compost created by the decay of the leaves.

For people who don’t want to compost, the next best way to rid yourself of the leaves is to mow them with a mulching mower. The leaves will be ground up and will decay in place next spring, especially as the mowing season begins again.



County residents like living outside local cities and towns because there are fewer taxes and fewer regulations. That’s fine. But county residents often have larger properties and they can easily dedicate a small area to leaf composting. This composting will keep their families and neighbors from being exposed to the noxious and toxic chemicals emitted by the burning of leaves.

Composting or mulching of leaves should become the new tradition for county residents. And the best time to start this new tradition is today.