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Help Save Bronxville Money By Leaving Your Leaves

BRONXVILLE N.Y. – Bronxville has adopted an initiative that encourages residents to mulch and then leave leaves on their property after the village was hit with a $100,000 bill to dispose of leaves in fall 2010, according to a pamphlet.

The program, “Love ’em and Leave ’em,” was first initiated in the village of Irvington. The program is being coordinated in Bronxville by the Green Committee, and is endorsed by Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin, the Board of Trustees and the Department of Public Works. The program was adopted in Bronxville in an effort to curb the cost of curbside leaf removal. Residents are encouraged to mulch their leaves by using a mulching mower or shredder.

"The goal is to reduce leaf removal by 20 percent, but even a 10 percent reduction would make a big difference," said Marvin. "If one out of every 10 people obliged to do this, it would save the town about $10,000. There's just so many other great things we could do with the money rather than pickup leaves."

The process of collecting and disposing of leaves is more expensive than you would think, said Marvin. Workers have to come and pick up the leaves, pack them and then transfer them two counties north.

"I want everybody to buy a mulching blade and take part in the effort," said Marvin. "There are several incentives to mulching and leaving your leaves in addition to saving money. A mulching mower will cost less and make less noise than a leaf blower. Mulched leaves provide nutrients for your soil, and leaves left by the curb make the road unsafe and have caused several accidents."

For those not participating in the Love ’em and Leave ’em initiative, leaves are required to be left curbside to allow for easy collection. Also, while leaf blower laws ended Sept. 30, residents are asked to keep any activity between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

For any questions about the initiative, or about how to properly mulch your leaves, contact the Bronxville Green Committee at BronxvilleGreenCommittee@gmail.com.

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