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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Putting Tons of Leaves and Yard Debris in Their Place

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Thursday, November 5, 2009   

DES MOINES, Iowa - For the next few weeks, Iowans will wrestle with tons of yard debris - leaves and fall cleanup clippings. Getting rid of it doesn't have to be backbreaking work or a threat to the environment, according to Metro Waste Authority. Spokesperson Amy Hock reminds homeowners that sending clippings and leaves to the landfill or burn pile is not the best practice.

"Many communities offer citizens a yard waste disposal program, a drop-off area, or even an option to bag that yard waste and have it turned into compost."

Dry leaves alone can take at least two years to break down during composting, but mixing in green plant materials, such as grass trimmings, will speed up the process, she says.

"We need to have a combination of leaves and twigs and grass. Leaves alone won't make a good compost; grass alone won't make a good compost. It's a proper mix of all of those things you pull from your yard."

Experts say leaves especially should be left out of the burn pile because they tend to burn slowly, and generate large amounts of hazardous airborne particulates that can cause breathing problems.








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