How much $$ can LELE actually save?

How much time and costs savings are actually possible at a municipal level from the reduction in County yard waste tipping fees, labor overtime, fuel & transportation costs, specialized equipment purchase and maintenance, prevention of storm drain clogging, etc.? Potential savings estimates range from $100k to over $750k at a municipal level, depending upon the municipality:

Municipality	Fall Cleanup (Est. Budget)
Irvington	$130k
Dobbs Ferry	$130k
Tarrytown	$175k
Greenburgh	$350k
Yonkers	$650k
Scarsdale	$760k
New Rochelle	$835k

Note that these figures are estimates for budget spending for all organic yard waste handling. In actuality, a municipality should reasonable target a reduction of perhaps 50%-60% in budgetary costs due to continued handling of leaves and grass clippings in common areas and public easements. (Maximum possible savings will vary by municipality.)

County Statistics
During the Fall season (Oct-Dec), over 90% of all organic yard waste handled in the County is leaves. Over 60,000 tons of leaves! During the Summer months (May-Sept), 50% of yard waste is grass clippings. Over 38,000 tons. Removal of such yard waste from the County's waste stream could reduce total tonnage processed and transported out of the county by half! That's potentially a $4 Million savings.*

*Estimates supplied by the Westchester County DEF (Department of Environmental Facilities) based upon metrics gathered during 2010. See details in this report on Organic Waste Transfer.

What about leaf blowers?

The focus of LELE initiative is promoting and protecting soil and water quality, as well as reducing  organic yard waste from the solid waste stream thereby saving money (in terms of labor, transportation & handling fees, gas, etc.).

LELE is not an effort to eliminate leaf blowers (in spite of the various health, air quality, and soil issues that Leaf blowers create). Already in Westchester County, all landscapers and homeowners are supposed to be using the newer, cleaner, more efficient 4-cycle leaf blowers and lawn mowers.

As to the use of leaf blowers during the actual LELE process, there are a number of instances where such use is required:

• gathering leaves from driveways, walkways and other paved areas, and thence moving them to a location (typically on lawn) where they can be mulch-mowed.
• moving excess mulched leaves into yard margins such as landscape beds. (Effectively creates winter mulch.)
• balancing out (spreading out) mulched leaves across the lawn to achieve a more even layer. (Note that nearer to trees or wooded margins, the concentration of leaves will typically be much higher than other more open areas of the lawn. Thus, the goal is to ensure that the buildup of 'leaf chippings' does not get too deep in any one spot - which would negatively affect lawn health.)

In the overall scheme of things, LELE methodology will typically reduce leaf blower use, although specific tasks (as outlined above) must still be assigned to their use.

In addition, it is still up to the landscaping crew supervisor to train workers about the importance of not leaving leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and similar gas-powered tools idling while other tasks are being performed. Or waste gas and create excess noise & pollution while chasing a single leaf around a client's property.

In many municipalities, leaf blower bans are being discussed and some have been enacted. The bans tend to be seasonal, with fall and early spring being the allowed times for use. Exceptions are often provided for extreme weather events and for municipal DPW/Parks staff. Some restrict the total number of units allowed to be operated simultaneously by a work crew.

What is Grass-Cycling?

Grass-cycling simply refers to the process of leaving your grass clippings in place on your lawn as you mow. Since your mower is left in its "mulching" configuration, mowing both grass and fall leaves provides a 3-season solution to lawn care, while yielding all of the benefits discussed on this site (e.g.; time savings, cost savings, green house gas reductions, soil enhancement).

The average lawn produces 1,500 pounds of grass clippings - clippings from a 1,000 square foot lawn contribute 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen back into the soil. Clippings can provide up to 1/3 of the annual feeding requirements of your lawn. Clippings left in place can also help block weed germination.*

Note that according to Cornell recommendations, for best effect, grass should be mowed no lower than 3" to 3.5" and your mower blades should be kept sharp. If the grass is wet, several passes may be required to effectively (finely) mulch the cut blades. Done properly, grass-cycling will not create a buildup of thatch.

* From presentation on Backyard Conservation - Lawn Care Practices developed by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. (Summary taken from slides 10 & 11. See also slides 12-14 for more discussion of leaf mulching.)  Read the entire presentation with speaker's notes (.pdf) on grass-cycling, leaf mulching, and water management in turf care. Also, be sure to get their 4 Simple Steps to Lawn Care.

• Get the Westchester County Brochure about Grasscycling.
• Get the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Brochure on Backyard Conservation: Lawns and the Environment.
• Get the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts powerpoint presentation (as a .pdf) concerning Backyard Conservation.
• Get the Montgomery County. MD brochure (.pdf) on Grasscycling - highly recommended.
• Get this short article filled with Grasscycling tips (.pdf).
• Get this article on "The Benefits of Mulching Explained" (.pdf).