City of Cornwall encourages residents to practice ‘grasscycling’

Cornwall.ca — In celebration of Environment Week, the City of Cornwall is encouraging residents to take a greener approach to lawn care by practicing grasscycling.

The concept of grasscycling is simple – when cutting the grass, simply remove the bag from your lawnmower and leave the clippings on the lawn.

The clippings provide water and nutrients to the lawn as they decompose, making it easier to maintain a healthy lawn. It also cuts out the time and effort needed to bag the clippings and reduces the amount of waste that ends up in the City Landfill.

“This is a simple way for residents to cut down on waste in an environmentally-friendly manner,” said Nicole Robertson, Solid Waste Supervisor. “We hope to see more residents adopt this practice. It’s good for their lawn and it will save them time.”

There are numerous other benefits to grasscycling. Grass clippings naturally fertilize the lawn, meaning less chemical fertilizer is needed. Going bagless and leaving clippings on the lawn also reduces the need for watering and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is a great initiative,” said John Towndrow of Transition Cornwall+. “Grasscycling means fewer trips to the Landfill Site for collection trucks so less fuel is needed. It is better for the lawn, but if you must collect the clippings, it is best to compost them on site wherever you can.”

The City runs a special spring leaf and yard waste collection program until the end of May. After that, leaf and yard waste – including grass clippings – that are placed at the curb are picked up as part of the regular garbage collection.

In Cornwall, it’s estimated the average household sets out 1.5 bags of grass clippings per week during the spring and summer months. That adds up to 1,275 tonnes of grass.

“This is an easy way for the community as a whole to increase our waste diversion efforts,” said Mrs. Robertson.

For those who prefer to bag their clippings and have them composted, leaf and yard waste bags can be dropped off free of charge throughout the year at the City Landfill. While there, residents are welcome to take some of the compost and mulch that is created at the Landfill from the leaf and yard waste collected throughout the year.

The Landfill Site is open to the public Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday from 7:30 am to 12 pm (with the exception of statutory holidays).