This year, recycle your leaves at home rather than burning or sending them to a municipal compost site. Burning pollutes the air and makes breathing difficult for people with respiratory disorders. Instead of sending leaves to a commercial or municipal compost facility and then buying them back as compost next year, reap the benefits directly by using your own leaves in a variety of ways. In heavily wooded areas with native stands of trees, let the leaves lie as they fall. The trees need the natural leaf litter.
Leaves enrich the soil's nutrients and quality for maximum root growth.
However, if you have lawn beneath the trees, the leaves must be removed or the grass may be smothered. As you clean up the garden in fall, till or dig leaves into vegetable and annual flowerbeds to improve the soil's quality and tilth. Shredded or chopped leaves make wonderful mulch around trees, shrubs and perennials. Leaf mulch is an attractive dark brown and slowly decomposes releasing nutrients to the plants. Prevent matting by shredding or chopping leaves.