This autumn, instead of bagging up your leaves and sending them to the landfill, consider leaving them where they fall.

For centuries, people have taken pride in maintaining lush, green lawns, which was often seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. But in recent years, scientists and environmental advocates have highlighted the benefits of letting yards remain more natural. As the leaves begin to fall, many homeowners feel the urge to rake, bag, and set them out for trash collection, viewing them as messy clutter. Unfortunately, once these bags are hauled away, the leaves end up in landfills where they decompose without oxygen and release methane—a potent greenhouse gas—directly into the atmosphere. Left in your yard, however, decomposing leaves can instead provide nutrients for soil, shelter for critters, and support for trees and native plants.

Leaving the leaves in your yard does more than reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it also creates a vital habitat. A single square meter of leaves can shelter up to 50,000 insects and other small critters, providing both food and protection. If homeowners did this, that would translate to 8 million square meters of natural shelter, supporting over 400 million creatures. Yet nearly 8 million tons of leaves are sent to landfills each year. (Humane Animal Rescue, Leave the Leaves, 2024).

Many people choose to burn dead leaves as a quick way to clear their yards and improve curb appeal. While this prevents the leaves from ending up in a landfill, it isn’t the most eco-friendly solution. Burning releases toxic chemicals and fine particulates into the air, contributes to low-level pollution, and even creates a fire hazard.

What Can We Do?

There are several environmentally responsible approaches to maintaining an aesthetically appealing yard without resorting to harmful practices:

• Designate specific areas for the accumulation of leaf litter, which helps reduce visual clutter while also providing ecological benefits.

• Use leaf litter as a natural mulch alternative. It offers greater nutrient content and soil-enriching properties than many commercially available mulches. By incorporating leaf litter into garden beds, homeowners can improve soil health, support plant growth, and reduce the need for store-bought mulch, ultimately lowering costs while promoting sustainability.

• Naturally create compost that enriches your yard. Every fallen leaf is packed with nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, all of which help keep your soil and grass healthy. Some people even mow over the leaves to speed up the decomposition process. Once they’ve broken down enough, this compost can be used in your garden as a free, nutrient-rich mulch substitute.

This fall, think of your leaves not as waste, but as a resource. By leaving them on the ground—or repurposing them as mulch or compost—you’re helping reduce pollution, support wildlife, and nourish your own yard. It’s a simple shift with big benefits: healthier soil, thriving plants, and a lighter footprint on the planet. The next time you reach for the rake, remember—sometimes the best thing you can do for your yard and the environment is to leave the leaves.