Brooklyn's Progress
June 2003

BBG is asking Brooklyn residents to save time and money by leaving their grass clippings on the lawn, and giving them a chance to win a mulching mower or compost bin in the process!

Brooklyn, NY - This summer, Brooklyn Botanic Garden's GreenBridge program is starting the second phase of the Waste Free-NYC waste prevention campaign by sending a team of master composters throughout Brooklyn to teach homeowners and gardeners how to save time, money and energy by recycling grass clippings. The first phase of the initiative took place in January when over 500 Christmas trees were recycled at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and turned into valuable mulch. BBG will show residents how to recycle grass clippings three different ways - by leaving them on the lawn, composting them, or by using clippings as mulch around trees and shrubs.

Recycled grass clippings reduce the amount of fertilizer needed to keep lawns beautiful; act as a mulch to reduce evaporation, reducing the need to water; and save time in raking. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn helps the environment by preventing this valuable organic material from ending up in a landfill. Recycling grass clippings also makes lawns safer for children and pets by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in their play areas, and is also safer for the environment by preventing chemicals from leach into the groundwater.

"It's hard to imagine why homeowners would go to the trouble of raking up grass clippings when there are so many benefits to leaving them on the lawn," says Ellen Kirby, director of Brooklyn GreenBridge. "It's estimated that grass clippings alone cost New York City over $10 million a year."

Residents can also fill out a postcard survey that enters them in a raffle to win a mulching mower or compost bin. The deadline to fill out a raffle card, available online at http://www.bbg.org/ or by calling 718-623-7290, is Friday, June 6th, 2003. In addition, BBG will be offering two free lawn care classes at the Garden on the following dates (Advanced registration is required. Call 718-623-7220 to register):

Summertime…And the Lawn Care is Easy - Thursday, May 22nd at 5:30-7:30pm

Choosing the Right Lawn Mower - Tuedsday, July 8th at 5:00-7:00pm

The grass clipping recycling initiative is made possible through a grant received from Waste Free NYC, which is operated by INFORM with funds provided by the City Council through the Department of Sanitation of New York. In addition to the grass-clipping campaign, BGB is also loaning chipping equipment to community gardens, block associations, and neighborhood projects throughout Brooklyn for small woody plant recycling. Through June it will also host "Bring your Brush to the Garden" days, when larger chipping equipment will be available to turn bigger plant material into mulch. To find out more about these programs, call the BGB Compost and Waste Prevention Hotline at (718)623-7290.