Lawn ClippingsOrganic Waste

Problem Statement

• Grass clippings cause water quality problems• Organic waste add nutrients to the water• Decaying algae leads to bacteria• Aquatic life has to move out or die.

Importance of our Topic• We witness neighbors and lawn services blowing yard

trash into our streets

• We see clippings being washed down the street

• We know that this decreases the dissolved oxygen level in our lakes

Storm Drains and Sewers•Storm drains and sewers are not the same thing •Storm drains are designed to route rain runoff into large pipes that lead directly to our lakes.

•There's no treatment or filtering for water that runs through storm drains.

Storm Drains

Problem Lawn Clippings in our Lakes

• Bacteria in the lake decompose the clippings and use up more dissolved oxygen.

• This is called eutrophication. • Aquatic life has to either move out or die.

Possible Solutions

Mulching your grass

The Benefits of Mulching Leaving Clippings On The Lawn After Mowing

• Clippings left on the lawn recycle nutrients

• Clippings left on the lawn can increase the organic

content of the soil and lead to

• Increased earthworm activity.

• Mulched lawns are more

nutritious and healthy.

Mulching

A ton of grass clippings• contains more than 1,700

pounds of water.

• Mulching saves one-third of your mowing time • Clippings left on the lawn do not cause thatch

• Left clipping on the lawn saves space in landfills

Solution:Composting

• Lawn clippings contain about 4% nitrogen, 0.5 to 1% phosphorus and 1 to 2% potassium

• All organic waste can be used• It makes nutrient rich soil• Compost piles can be started and maintained

anywhere• Composting piles can be kept in trash cans

Solution:Rain Gardens

• Rain gardens are small depressions between the lawn and lakes

• This process does not deprive the lake of water because it still reaches the lake

Rain Gardens

Home for Our Rain Garden