Northwest Indiana residents are reminded that it is illegal to burn leaves in Porter and Lake counties, and are urged to compost, mulch and chip their yard waste.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management notes that burning leaves result in large amounts of non-visible smoke and soot. Burning five pounds of leaves releases about one pound of soot and other chemicals into the air, the IDEM says.

The IDEM gives the following tips for dealing with yard waste.

Mix leaves into a compost pile to break them down naturally. Composted leaves produce rich, fertile humus that can enrich flowerbeds and gardens.

Bag leaves for easy drop-off at a community composting facility.

Mulch the leaves with a lawnmower. This method saves time, returns nutrients to a lawn and disposes of the leaves in one easy step.

Use a rake instead of a leaf blower to gather leaves into piles. Besides reducing ozone-forming emissions that come from small, gasoline-powered tools, raking provides low-impact exercise.

The IDEM notes that burning leaves, branches and other clean wood is legal in most of Indiana, but that many counties and local communities have local ordinances that limit or ban open burning. However, it is illegal to burn leaves in Porter, Lake, Clark, and Floyd counties, all of which are non-attainment counties for ozone.

Posted 10/26/2007