Reduce work, improve soil quality, support pollinators, and benefit from beautiful home lawns and gardens with these fall lawn tips courtesy of the City!

Leave your leaves right at home; here’s how

• Mulch the fallen leaves directly into your lawn with mowing. Learn how to with this online article. 
• Use leaves as a mulch and cover on garden beds for the fall and winter seasons.
• Compost the leaves in your own yard. Learn how to compost through the EPA's website.

Here’s why

• Leaving your leaves as mulch/cover on a lawn or garden:
• According to Tufts University, mulched leaves provides habitat to pollinators, such as moths, bees, and butterflies, for laying eggs, building nests, and winter shelter.
• The National Wildlife Federation says it provides valuable nutrients back into the soil. This keeps your yards and soil healthy, which gives them a kickstart next spring.
• Composting the leaves will provide a nutrient-rich soil amendment by the next growing season that you can then use on your lawn or garden.

We encourage residents to utilize their curbside composting and leaf vacuum programs, but also recognize the added environmental impact these programs result in with transportation emissions and resources needed to process organic material elsewhere. Visit our curbside composting webpage, and our leaf vacuum webpage, to learn more. 

Leaving your leaves right at home reduces this environmental impact and results in many other environmental benefits for your yard. As a reminder: yard waste is not allowed to go into the trash, per state law.

Compost and mulch

Nourish the shoots, stems, and roots of any plant (including grass!) growing in your yard with the use of compost and mulch.

When added to soil, compost improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. Compost can be used as a soil supplement in flower beds, vegetable gardens, lawns, planting a new tree or shrub, and seed starting mixtures.

When added to landscaping and garden beds, mulch retains moisture (keeping your soil and plants hydrated), prevents weeds, provides nutrients back to the soil, and assists with stormwater control.

Where to get compost or mulch:

• Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, 3900 Hebl Ave. SW
• Compost ($20/ton - $2 min.) and mulch (no cost) available in small or large batches
• Small batch is self-service - bring containers and shovel to load; staff can assist with loading large batches. 
• East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE
• Compost and mulch available (spring, summer, and fall only) in small batches only for 50 cents/5 gallons. 
• Please pay via the ParkMobile app, or with cash at ReStore during their business hours
• Self-service - bring containers and shovel to load
• Lower City Park, 200 Park Road, Iowa City
• Mulch available at no cost
• Self-service: bring containers and shovel to load
• Local garden or hardware stores in our area!

Mulch and compost available at City locations can be used by residential and commercial customers."

Questions? Contact the City’s Resource Management Superintendent Jennifer Jordan at jejordan@iowa-city.org, or 319-887-6160.