NAMPA, Idaho — Fall weather could mean plenty of people will soon have a yard full of leaves. When it’s time to break out the rakes, the next step is deciding what to do with all those leaves.
You could send them to the landfill, but the Nampa cemetery offers a different option.
Since the 1990s, Nampa’s community leaf recycling program has taken place at the Kohlerlawn cemetery.
It's part of a seasonal program where they also collect residential lawn clippings through the summer and Christmas trees in the winter.
"We accept grass clippings throughout the course of the season, and today is the official day that we’ll accept leaves, and then we’ll accept the leaves through December 15th," Nampa Cemetery's Ryan Lancaster told Idaho News 6.
The leaves have a high carbon content, and when you mix them with grass clippings that have a high nitrogen content, you get soil that’s perfect for amending yards, gardens, and lawns.
Ryan Lancaster with the Kohlerlawn cemetery in Nampa said the parks department recycles all clippings and leaves and turns them into mulch. The process results in a healthy soil that goes back into the community.
According to Lancaster, the Nampa leaf recycling program turns trash into treasure, while diverting bulky refuse away from the landfill.
“I don’t like to just have it go to the trash if we can re-use it in any way," Lancaster said. "With our facility, we’re more than happy to take it."
Several cities in the Treasure Valley have similar programs for leaves, grass clippings and yard debris. In Canyon County, the landfill even offers a program that repurposes collected leaves for cattle bedding.
During instances of wet weather like was recently seen in the Treasure Valley, the composting area may be kept closed, since the dirt of the yard becomes very sloppy, and vehicles can become stuck.
Of course not only does leaf recycling clean up your yard but it's also a great way to be environmentally responsible.
"So by all means, yes, try to recycle instead of just putting it into the landfill,” Lancaster said.
The best way to get to the Nampa Cemetery's compost site is to take the Weamer Lane entrance on 6th Street North and follow the directional signs.
The cemetery asks that people only drop off leaves during hours when the compost area is open, and not dump leaves outside the office or in cemetery dumpsters.
