Still Throwing Your Leaves in the Trash?

Good Morning America announced today that “A gas-powered blower emits as much pollution in an hour as a car would if it drove 100 miles, according to the Citizen’s League for Environmental Action Now.”

An alternatives include to this gas-powered machines are electric-powered blower, which are “50 to 70 percent quieter than a gas-powered version and emits no air pollution.” If you purchase one with a mulch setting, you can breakdown the leaves you pick up to a ” tenth of their former size.” According to GMA, some brands to consider include:

Or if you want to go low-tech, an old fashion rake can always do the job, plus “150-pound person could burn 144 calories while raking leaves for 30 minutes.”

Most importantly, once your leaves are collected, you need a place to dispose of them. With Earth911.com’s Recycling Location Database, you can find one of over 4,900 composting programs or drop-offs in your area that accept leave debris.

To check out more about cleaning up your yard, check out the “Green Your Garden” segment in conjunction with SafeLawns.org on today’s Good Morning America.

GMA Screen Shot

As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments. The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.

Archived Comments

  1. beautifullyused.com » Tuesday’s Tip: The Rake

    posted on November 10th, 2009 at 11:12 am

    [...] you’re like us in New England, you’re gathering up leaves. Earth 911 had some good information about energy/pollution with the use of leaf blowers that is worth [...]

Recently Added to Garden

  • New Compost Labels Help Home Gardeners

    The U.S. Composting Council is taking the guess-work out of choosing the right kind of compost by launching its Consumer Compost Use Program – a labeling system that will identify the types of uses that a compost product is best …

  • Your Guide to Winter Composting

    Many people assume that chilly temperatures and snowy conditions rule out composting for the winter. But you can actually recycle your own organics year-round with a little extra maintenance. So, get out those shovels and empty those food scrap bins! …

  • Phoenix Golf Tournament to Go Zero Waste

    With 500,000 expected attendees, the Waste Management Phoenix Open has the potential for a large environmental footprint. But this year’s event has a Zero Waste Challenge, including the presence of zero trash cans on the course.

    This is the third year …

Earth911

Earth911 is an environmental services company that addresses solutions for products' end-of-life for both businesses and consumers.