Where Personal Action Meets Policy: Yard Waste and Making a Difference Where We Can

In conversations across the state, I have heard from Iowans who want solutions to the toughest environmental and health issues we face. Folks are interested in how to advocate for policy solutions and how to make a difference with choices and practices in their personal lives.  

The reality is that most of Iowa’s environmental pollution comes from agricultural and industrial sources. Addressing these outsized impacts on our health will take policy change.  

But even as we advocate for policy change, we as individuals can also align our personal actions with our drive for change and improvement. I invite you to consider land stewardship in your own yard this autumn. As the leaves begin to fall and you clear out garden beds and landscaping, managing your lawn waste responsibly is one way to make a difference. 

Most leaf litter and grass clippings can be left on the grass! It's good for it. Leaving a layer of mulched leaves and lawn clippings on top of grass and in garden beds allows nutrients in the organic matter to return to the soil. These nutrients support further growth and can reduce, or even eliminate, the need for supplemental fertilizer application.  

Surplus lawn waste can go in designated bins provided by some cities. Through Des Moines’ yard waste program, for example, residents can request a wheeled lawn waste bin that is collected weekly with the regular trash pick-up. Residents without a wheeled bin can dispose of lawn waste in CompostIt bags or other brown paper lawn waste bags with CompostIt stickers affixed. 

Here’s a pro tip—if you buy a bag at a local store, buy one with the Metro Waste Authority CompostIt logo on it and you can skip the sticker because the workers who pick it up will know you’ve already paid for pickup. That should save you the step of acquiring the stickers. 

It is important to keep our storm water infrastructure and shared waterways in mind when we care for our lawns. Avoid letting grass clippings and yard waste enter storm drains. It can create blockages in the stormwater system and lead to flash flooding (which has been a major issue across Iowa in what is shaping up to be one of the rainiest Septembers on record). Yard waste that enters the stormwater system can also carry chemicals into waterways. Caring for our own yards responsibly is a small piece of addressing our state’s water quality issues, but it is a reminder of our shared commitment to clean, healthy water. 

To get involved in advocating for the policy solutions that will be necessary to address our state’s systemic water quality issues, sign up for IEC’s email list to be notified of opportunities for action.