In years past, residential leaf burning was all but eradicated in the United States. Homeowners could simply bag up leaves and take them to the town dump or have them picked up at the curbside.

With many landfills overflowing, communities are increasingly refusing to accept leaves, and some have turned back the clock and allowed residential leaf burning. Even if it's legal in your area, leaf burning should be avoided at all costs for three basic reasons:

1. It's a fire hazard. Even a watched brush fire can quickly get out of control. All it takes is a puff of wind and a dry patch of grass and you've got a scorched landscape on your hands.
2. It adds to air pollution. Leaf burning releases carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter.
3. It's a health hazard. Breathing in the smoke from burning leaves enables particles to bury themselves deep in your lungs. This can worsen existing respiratory problems and even create new ones.

The Composting Alternative
Fallen leaves decay quickly; if they didn't, deciduous forests would have huge piles of leaves strewn across their floors. This rapid decomposition makes leaves a great medium for composting.

If you left the leaves in a pile in your yard, they'd compost naturally from the center of the pile over time. You can hasten the process by building a compost pile in your yard. Create a three-sided wooden enclosure shaped like a U, or purchase a compost box. Before you add the leaves, run them through your lawnmower to shred them. If you've got a bagging lawnmower, this will be very easy. Dump the shredded leaves in the compost bin and let them sit, occasionally turning the pile over so that the uncomposted material at the top gets worked down into the compost. You can throw in some household food waste, such as fruit peels, and cut flowers, but don't add meat or bones to the pile, as these attract animals.

Using Leaves as Mulch
Shredded leaves can also be used to mulch garden beds in winter. A light coating will return minerals to the soil over the winter, while a heavy layer can prolong the growing season for some vegetables. Use care when mulching perennials with leaves, as this may cause root rot in some plants.

Leaves are a mineral-rich, renewable resource for your landscape. When you compost or mulch, you help to preserve the balance of nutrients in your soil.