Households can do several things to relieve landfill congestion and help hold down waste management expense.

And while we are at it, we can improve our soil and save ourselves money.

At least 20 percent of the solid waste generated by Texans comes from grass clippings, tree leaves (half of the total) and other landscape wastes.

Instead of placing leaves and grass clippings in plastic bags for curbside garbage collection, let nature work its decompositional wonders and allow soil to gain necessary nutrients for future growth.

Bagging these materials and placing them into the curbside garbage collection system uses valuable landfill space, removes nutrients from the environment and costs cities and the people of Texas in increased taxes and service fees.

The Don’t Bag It Leaf Management Plan is an ecologically sound program designed to significantly reduce the volume of leaves entering community landfills, thereby extending their lives and saving tax dollars.

Tree leaves that accumulate in and around your landscape represent a valuable natural resource that can be used to provide a good source of organic matter and nutrients for use in your landscape.

It is an established fact that trees in an acre of forest shed as much as two tons of leaves each fall. Hang on to your leaves. And if your neighbors don’t want them, hang on to theirs. It makes no sense to send valuable treasure to the dump.

In forests, pastures and other natural settings, tree leaves and other organic wastes form a natural carpet over the soil surface that conserves moisture, modifies soil temperature and prevents soil erosion and crusting.

In time bacteria, fungi and other naturally occurring organisms decompose or compost the leaves and other organic material, supplying the existing plants with a natural, slow-release form of nutrients. Take advantage of this same concept.

Leaves are a valuable natural resource. They contain 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a plant extracts from the soil and air during the growing season. When we rake, bag, and dispose of leaves, we either deprive our plants of needed nutrition or we spend money on fertilizer.

Leaves that have been mowed or run through some other type of shredder will decompose faster and are much more likely to remain in place than unshredded leaves.

Oak leaves, for example, are very slow to break down unless shredded. If your lawn has a light covering of leaves, just mow them and simply leave them in place. A mulching mower is best for this technique.

In fact, during times of light leaf drop or if your landscape has few trees, it is probably the most efficient and easiest way to manage leaf accumulation.

As an option to raking a heavy leaf fall, a lawn mower with a bagging attachment provides a fast and easy way to shred and collect leaves.

Mulch reduces evaporation from the soil surface, inhibits weed growth, moderates soil temperatures, keeps soils from eroding and crusting, and prevents soil compaction.

As organic mulch decomposes, it becomes compost and releases valuable nutrients.

Use this mulch in vegetable gardens, flower beds and around shrubs and trees.

Apply a 3- to 6-inch layer of shredded leaves around the base of trees and shrubs. In annual and perennial flower beds, a 2- to 3-inch mulch of shredded leaves is ideal.

For vegetable gardens, a thick layer of leaves placed between the rows functions as a mulch as well as an all-weather walkway that will allow you to work in your garden during wet periods.

Mulches are especially beneficial when used around newly established landscape plants, greatly increasing the likelihood of their survival.

Work your mulched leaves directly into garden and flower bed soils in the fall. This allows time for the leaves to decompose before spring planting.

Adding a little fertilizer to the soil after working in the leaves will speed up their decomposition.

A 6- to 8-inch layer of leaves tilled into a heavy clay soil will improve aeration and drainage.

The same amount tilled into a light, sandy soil will improve water- and nutrient-holding capacity.

For more information on this subject and other gardening ideas, visit the website at aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.