As you prepare your yard for winter, please rake leaves to the curb or street edge (if no curb)—not into the street. Leaves in the road can block storm drains and cause flooding.
Or you can use leaves to insulate garden beds, add to compost, or mulch in place with your mower. Leaves add nutrients and help enrich the soil, getting your lawn and garden ready for next spring.
After Halloween, consider composting your pumpkins instead of throwing them out. Remove candles, paint, and glitter, and break pumpkins into smaller pieces before composting. If you don’t compost at home, Erie County and Farmer Pirates are collaborating to host local pumpkin drop off sites on Friday, November 7th- Sunday November 9th from 10am-4pm. Visit https://www3.erie.gov/recycling/pumpkin-compost-drop-sites for complete list of drop off sites.