FAQs • Scarsdale, NY • CivicEngage

How does the Village's Annual Fall Leaf Collection work?: The Village of Scarsdale's Annual Fall Leaf Collection Program in which leaves from residential properties are placed in piles at the curb line and collected with leaf vacum trucks by Village public works crews is costly with a total of $680,028 budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Adopted Budget. Often due to wind, rain or improper placement these leaf piles end up in the street narrowing vehicular travel lanes resulting in traffic safety concerns. These leaves are also prone to blocking stormwater access to catch basins resulting in localized street flooding and phosphate runoff into our waterways. Fortunately, there is an alternative leaf management practive, on-site leaf mulching! On-site leaf mulching involves shredding leaves where they are and utlizing the shredded leaves as a winter mulch and/or compost for the lawn

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Leaf Mulching

1. How does the Village's Annual Fall Leaf Collection work?: The Village of Scarsdale's Annual Fall Leaf Collection Program in which leaves from residential properties are placed in piles at the curb line and collected with leaf vacum trucks by Village public works crews is costly with a total of $680,028 budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2017/2018 Adopted Budget. Often due to wind, rain or improper placement these leaf piles end up in the street narrowing vehicular travel lanes resulting in traffic safety concerns. These leaves are also prone to blocking stormwater access to catch basins resulting in localized street flooding and phosphate runoff into our waterways. Fortunately, there is an alternative leaf management practive, on-site leaf mulching! On-site leaf mulching involves shredding leaves where they are and utlizing the shredded leaves as a winter mulch and/or compost for the lawn

2. What is Leaf Mulching?: Leaf mulching is the practice of chopping leaves into small pieces. Mulched leaves can be left on your lawn, as they fall between the grass blades and disappear, or piled 3" or 4" deep on garden beds and around shrubs where they act as a protective layer in the winter and, in the growing season, prevent weed growth and help conserve water. Leaf mulch decomposes over time, and adds important nutrients and structure to the soil.