Give Yourself a Break This Summer by Grasscycling

Save yourself time and energy this growing season by grasscycling, or simply leaving your grass clippings on your lawn after mowing. Grasscycling makes mowing quicker and easier, and is the natural way to return nutrients to your lawn. More than a quarter of Denver’s household trash is composed of yard debris, and grass clippings account for a large portion of this material from April to September. By grasscycling, you can help stop this material from ending up in landfills and have a real impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If you’re not already a grasscycling pro, now is the time to start!  Tips for how to grasscycle successfully: Use any mower. Remove the mower collection bag to allow clippings to fall back on the lawn. If your mower does not have a safety flap covering the opening over which the bag fits, you may need to purchase a retrofit kit from your local hardware store. Mow when grass is dry. Wet grass clippings clump together and do not feed your lawn as well as dry grass clippings. Follow the “1/3 Rule.” To foster healthy grass, do not cut more than 1/3 of the length of the grass at any time, and make sure that clippings are no more than one-inch long. Lawns are healthiest when they are mowed to a height of 2 ½ to 3 inches. If you hire a landscaper to mow, be sure to ask them to adopt grasscyclingmethods when mowing your lawn.   Visit DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles for more information about grasscyclingand other resources for reducing your waste.