Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
LEAVES, SUCH as the bountiful crop at the Curry House on McLeod Avenue in Ironwood, are excellent for composting, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The swish and crunch of autumn leaves underfoot presents an opportunity for Gogebic Range residents to use a valuable material.
Color season arrived early and has stayed late here, with millions of leaves falling in the past few days, a sign that winter isn't far off.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources notes home composting is growing in popularity and composting and mulching fallen leaves improves the air quality, reduces wildfires and makes use of a material that would otherwise go to waste.
Wisconsin residents generate more than 500,000 tons of compostable waste materials annually, like yard clippings, leaves, branches and food scraps.
The materials are kept out of landfills and reused to make valuable garden products. Composting also reduces leaf burning in the fall, which means fewer chances of errant sparks starting fires and cleaner, healthier air.
"When households use their own leaves for mulch and compost, they can save money on fertilizer and reduce the need for municipal yard waste collection," said Brad Wolbert, DNR recycling and solid waste chief.
Rules restrict the open burning of yard materials in Wisconsin. Some communities also have local rules in place that further restrict or prohibit burning of yard waste.
Wisconsin residents should check local burn restrictions prior to burning.
There are many easy ways to start a home compost pile.
Mixing compostable browns, like fallen leaves, dead plants, dried grass clippings and small branches, with greens, like fresh grass clippings, green plants, fruit, vegetable and bread scraps or coffee grounds, produces compost that can be sprinkled on lawns or used in gardens, improving soil properties and providing nutrients that reduce the need for fertilizers, Wolbert said.
He said dry leaves keep well in plastic bags, and many people keep a few bags of leaves from the fall to add browns to their compost piles or mulch to their yards throughout the year.
For more reuse and recycling ideas to use throughout the year, visit dnr.wi.gov and search "recycling for all seasons."
-Ralph Ansami
