Disposal of wastes

       January 1, 0000    2002

 

Leaves, grass, twigs, roots and other wastes from lawns sum up to approximately 18% of the annual municipal waste. For summer, grass makes up 50% of the municipal waste, while in fall leaves causes 60-80% of the total waste. This gigantic amount of wastes strains the municipal collection systems as it raises the expenses required for the extra equipment. The wastes require a sizable space. Burning them leads to air pollution and fire risks and should be avoided.

Waste management

Waste management has four rungs – disposal, processing, recycling and minimization. While there is a general tendency towards recovery of nutrients from the waste, disposal is also needed for managing the waste. It can be done in three ways. Dumping them at a particular site can be done. Land filling of these wastes is also done. Alternatively, the waste is burned. Lawn wastes can be recycled. They can be converted by decomposition into a rich soil called “Humus”. It provides nutrients, texture to the lawn thereby enhancing growth. Nearly two years are required to form humus at nature’s speed, but can be brought down to 14 days by human methods. Also the disposal costs are saved. In an area of four square feet, a ton of compost can be made. For shore land lawns the wastes should be prevented from entering water.

Advantages and Disadvantages

For fallen leaves, if they are cut by a lawn mower faster decomposition takes place. If collected by a bagging lawn mower, they can be used as leaf mulch. It protects the soil from attrition and getting coated and water evaporation is minimized. For grass clippings, leaving them on the lawn is the best method. It saves the time needed to fill the refuse container as well as money as less fertilizer is required. If collected and used as mulch, it may emit odor when a thick pile is produced. For shrub clippings and remains of lawn plants or weeds, they are cut into small pieces using a lawn mower or shredder and spread on shrub beds. The disadvantage is that wooden materials make the blades of the mower blunt. Juicy materials decay fast while wooden ones very slowly. Tree parts are shred and used as decorative mulch and alternatively for path creation.
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