By Mary Liz Mulligan, Chairman, Bronxville Green Committee 

Nov. 4, 2015:  The Village of Bronxville and the Bronxville Green Committee encourage all property owners, residents, and condominium and cooperative managers and boards to "love 'em & leave 'em" to help reduce the costs of unnecessary leaf collection and disposal and to help make optimal use of this rich organic resource by mulching or composting leaves on their own property. The Village of Bronxville and the Bronxville schools have been using this technique since the fall of 2011 and are very pleased with every aspect, especially their lush lawns.  

The Village of Irvington took the lead on this process several years ago. Its website has more information, but a concise version of the information can be found in the following link: http://www.irvingtonny.gov/index.aspx?NID=226. 

The following points of interest all add up to a healthier, safer, and more nutrient-rich environment while also helping to lower taxes. 

• Significant reduction in the costs to the village for leaf collection and disposal via reduction in tipping fees (charged by the county for disposal of the village's leaves, currently $33,000+), fuel usage, and department of public works crew effort. The village's leaf removal and disposal costs are annually around $110,000.

• Reduction of flooding risk resulting from clogged storm drains, as well as diminishment of the cost to the village of clearing clogged drains.

• Reduction of the traffic hazard caused by piles of leaves in roadways.

• Reduction in heavy DPW vehicle traffic related to leaf collection in neighborhoods.

• Reduced phosphate runoff into our waterways from disposal of leaves in streets, resulting in improved water quality.

• Improved quality and health of turf, as on-site mulching improves the capacity of soil to absorb water and germinate seed.

• Improved resiliency of turf and plantings through increased biological complexity in soil due to on-site leaf mulching.

• On-site creation of free, high-quality, nutrient-rich and attractive mulch for gardens and planting areas.

• Freeing up of municipal forces for critical work needed in our village.

As usual, this fall, the Bronxville Green Committee's love 'em & leave 'em presentation has been running on the Bronxville cable channel. Currently it is running at 5:30 pm for the next two weeks. Full schedule is at Bronxvilletv.com.  

We hope you join in!