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Last Updated: 10/13/04
Passaic County, New Jersey, wishes to thank the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Recycling for its help in providing technical data and the text material used in this publication. Further, the County wishes to acknowledge the time and effort put into the text preparation by the numerous County Agricultural Agents and Recycling Coordinators who worked on the project.
Be Part Of The Passaic County For More Information Call The A Cooperative Program Of The and Passaic County
"My lawn service gave me a savings on my contract by cutting and leaving . . . they didn't have to pay to dispose of the clippings any more." |
  Yard waste materials (grass clippings, brush and leaves) are a major part of Passaic County's municipal solid waste stream. In fact, they account for nearly 20% of our waste stream. Almost a third of all summertime waste may be grass cuttings. As County residents, you are probably helping to reduce the amount of waste disposed of by recycling materials such as newspaper, glass bottles, and aluminum cans. Dealing with organic materials like grass, leaves and food scraps right at home is another way to recycle. One way to cut down on the grass clippings you generate is to leave them on your lawn when you mow. Another way, if you use a professional service, is to ask for a grass growth retardant. The best of these products breaks down to CO2 and water and reduces the growth of grass by up to 50%.
Grass clippings provide natural fertilizer for a growing lawn.
Grass, Cut It And Leave It Grass clippings are a major part of Passaic County's municipal solid waste stream. And like other highly recyclable materials -- such as newspapers, plastics, glass and aluminum -- recycling grass clippings can help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. The grass clippings generated each time you mow your lawn, can be easily recycled. Are Grass Clippings Really A Disposal Problem? Yes. Disposing of grass clippings is very costly and wasteful. Grass clippings make up thousands of tons of New Jersey's solid waste. In fact, nearly a third of all summer waste handled by garbage haulers consists of grass clippings. They represent a waste management cost that you pay either directly to your trash hauler, or indirectly in taxes. Each ton of grass clippings brought to a landfill costs from $65 to more than $100 in disposal fees. Furthermore, landfilled grass clippings don't decompose quickly because of the lack of oxygen. What Can You Do To Help? It's really simple. Just leave your clippings on the lawn when you mow. Grass clippings provide natural and healthy fertilizer for a growing lawn. Just Cut It And Leave It To Save Time And Money What could be easier than cutting your lawn and not bagging clippings anymore? You'll save time because you won't have to stop to change your lawnmower bag, and you'll avoid unnecessary trips to your garbage can or curb. In fact, studies show that homeowners who leave clippings on the law actually reduce their total annual mowing time by 20 - 25%. You'll also save money. You won't have to buy lawn trash bags. You can spend less on fertilizer since clippings left on the lawn recycle nutrients such as nitrogen back into the soil. Correctly Mowing Your Lawn To maintain your lawn properly, avoid mowing more than the top third of the growing grass. Done consistently, this will result in an attractive, neatly trimmed lawn because the small clippings disappear when they filter down to the soil. Most New Jersey lawns thrive when mowed to about 2 to 3 inches, especially in the summer. The taller grass will shade the soil, cooling roots and preventing weeds resulting in a healthier lawn. Try Mulching Another option you might consider is purchasing a mulching/recycling mower or adding a mulching attachment to your present mower. These attachments chop clippings into fine pieces which slip easily down to the soil. A study conducted by the University of Connecticut found that the nitrogen from grass clippings showed up in the growing grass within two weeks. Nitrogen is a nutrient that promotes thick green growth and a strong root system. By the end of the third year of the study, researchers estimated that about a third of the nitrogen found in grass came from previously recycled clippings. Annually, this added nearly two pounds of nitrogen to each thousand square feet of lawn. What About Thatch? Don't worry about clippings contributing thatch problems. Lawn experts agree that lawn clippings do not create thatch in the lawn. Rather, thatch is formed from the accumulation of dead grass roots and stems. The more you fertilize and water your lawn, the faster it grows and the faster thatch accumulates. Strategies For Reducing Clipping Volume You want your lawn to grow and to look good. There are a number of lawn management strategies that can help to minimize mowing, to keep your lawn healthy and to reduce the amount of clippings generated. It's All in How You Fertilize and Water Fertilizer requirements of New Jersey grasses vary, depending on turf type, soil chemistry and many other factors. The only sure way to determine specific lawn growing needs is to have your soil tested through your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office. If a soil test is not done, the following may be used a general guidelines. Most lawns in New Jersey need both nitrogen and potassium, major nutrients that lead to thick, green growth and strong root system. By law fertilizer bag labels must always show the "N-P-K" ratio -- the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the product. A fertilizer which has an N-P-K ratio of 4:1:2 suits most New Jersey lawns. It may be 20:5:10, or 16:4:8, or any other mathematical combination, as long as it contains about four times as much nitrogen as phosphorous and about two times as much nitrogen as potassium.
What Kind Of Grass Types Are There? In New Jersey, cool season grasses such as bluegrass, perennial rye grass and fine and turf-type fescues are best for attractive, long lasting lawns. Improved perennial rye grass is suitable for full sun and partial shade; bluegrass is best in the sun; and fescues are good for full shade. Bluegrass and perennial rye grass generally require the most care. A mixture of several species and varieties of grass is recommended to increase their hardness, attractive appearance and resistance to disease and drought. WHAT TO DO WITH EXCESSIVE GROWTH If excessive growth occurs between mowings, you can double mow. Adjust the mower height up to remove only the top third of the grass blade. One or two days later, set the mower to its regular height and mow again to get back on track. Or you may prefer to collect the grass clippings and apply them to your flower or vegetable garden as mulch. Place about an inch of clippings directly on the soil around plantings to moderate soil temperature and to reduce weed growth, soil spattering, erosion, compaction, evaporation and runoff. As a precaution, use clippings from herbicide- treated lawns only after two lawn mowings. Incorporate Clippings into the Soil Another method of recycling grass clippings is to mix them directly into the garden soil. Since most New Jersey soils are low in organic materials, it is recommended that fresh or composted organic matter be added to the soil. This will increase drainage in heavier soils. It also serves to reduce erosion and harmful effects of extremes in pH and over-fertilization. Grass clippings contain 2 to 4 percent nitrogen, which is more than other organic matter sources such as leaves (1/2 to 1%), coffee grounds (1-1/2 to 2%) and horse manure (1 to 2%). If blended properly with soil, the nitrogen level of the clippings increases the microbial decomposition of the grass. You may incorporate clippings into the soil immediately after cutting, unless a herbicide has been used on the lawn. Two or three inches of grass clippings can be turned into the soil to a depth of six to eight inches. If you decide to plant a garden soon after clippings have been added to the soil, be aware that nutrients may not be immediately available. To get the plants off to a healthy start, speed up nutrient release by adding an additional 1 to 3 pounds of nitrogen (10 to 30 pounds of a 10 percent nitrogen fertilizer) per thousand square feet of garden. Consider Backyard Composting Many gardeners find that a limited amount of grass clippings are an excellent addition to the backyard compost pile. However, unless clippings are mixed with other organic materials, they can product an unpleasant odor when you dig into the compost pile. One way to reduce odors is to add composted leaves to help aerate nitrogen-rich grass clippings. Add no more than one- third grass clippings to your compost pile, or it will become oxygen-starved. Should your compost pile begin to emit odors, turn materials with a pitchfork and add pulverized lime. The turning process adds oxygen and the addition of lime neutralizes odors. For more information on backyard composting, refer to the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service pamphlet, "Backyard Leaf Composting FSO74" and "Using Leaf Compost" FS117. Alternatives To Growing Turf Grass In some areas, you may want to consider an alternative to growing turf grass. Increasing the size of shrub beds and growing ground covers can help to reduce maintenance and yard waste. Ground covers such as Pachysandra, English Ivy and Periwinkle can be grown successfully in filtered light and in shaded areas. |
