Grass Clippings: Bag them orrecycle them... just don’t blow them away!

Zèb Gazon:Mete yo san sache oubyen resikle yo… Pa gaye yo nan lari a!

For more information about this topic or other Public Works topics,

visit our website at www.miamidade.gov/publicworks or call 3-1-1.

Pou plis enfòmasyon rele 3-1-1 oubyen klike www.miamidade.gov/publicworks

Thanks to South Florida’s year-round growing season, we’re fortunate to have residential and commercial properties in Miami-Dade County with lush green lawns, gorgeous shrubbery and a healthy tree canopy. Companies like yours help to keep our community’s landscapes looking their absolute best. But did you know that some lawn maintenance activities can generate litter and create problems with our stormwater drainage systems?When grass clippings and leaves from lawn care activities are left on sidewalks and streets or blown into the storm drains, it’s a real problem. Here’s why:• Grass clippings and leaves can clog storm drains.

Clogged drains don’t work properly, meaningrainwater can’t flow. The result – street floodingthat can damage public and private property.

• Lawn clippings and leaves blown inside stormdrains will decay, using up oxygen and releasingnutrients. Excess nutrients encourage weed andalgae growth in the drainage systems.

• Grass clippings and leaves that are blown intothe streets or left on sidewalks are eyesores thatmake neighborhoods less attractive.

• Most importantly, blowing grass clippings andleaves on streets and sidewalks or into drainsis considered littering, which is a violationof Miami-Dade County Code, Section 15-6. Those responsible are subject to enforcementaction and fines of up to $1,000 per offense.

How should your landscape company manage grass clippings and leaves to prevent environ-mental damage and avoid fines for littering? Here are your options:• Bag them: Sweep, rake and bag or containerize

the yard waste and dispose of it properly.• Recycle them: If you use a blower, blow lawn

clippings and leaves back into the yard orlandscaped area. Recycled grass clippings willact as a mulch or fertilizer, providing valuablenutrients to the lawn or landscaping.

Remember, blowing grass and leaves onto the streets and sidewalks and into storm drains is against the law and makes our streets and sidewalks less attractive. Do the right thing with leaves and lawn clippings—bag them or recycle them... just don’t blow them away.

Klima nan Sid Florid la pèmèt plant pouse pandan tout ane a. Chans sa a fè nou gen bèl gazon, bèl lantouraj bwa byen toufe epi bèl branch bwa ki bay lonbraj. Konpayi tankou pa w la ede anpil pou kenbe jaden nan kominote a nan bon kondisyon. Men èske ou konnen gen kèk aksyon nou fè nan jadinaj ki kreye pwoblèm nan sistèm drenaj dlo lapli a?Lè zèb gazon ak fèy ki soti nan netwaye jaden rete sou twotwa, nan lari oubyen lè yo soufle yo nan twou egou, sa ka lakòz gwo pwoblèm. Men pou kisa:• Zèb gazon ak fèy bwa bouche twou egou yo. Rezilta,

drenaj yo pa fonksyonen byen e dlo lapli pa koule janli ta dwe. Sa vle di inondasyon nan lari a ki ka lakòzdomaj pou pwopriyete prive tankou pwopritye leta.

• Lè zèb gazon ak fèy bwa tonbe nan twou egou, yodekonpoze. Lè sa a, yo konsomen oksijèn e yo tounenfimye. Twòp fimye fè move zèb ak limon pouse nansistèm drenaj la.

• Zèb gazon ak fèy bwa ke yo soufle oubyen balenan lari a oubyen ke yo kite sou twotwa a bayrepiyans epi yo gate aparans katye a.

• Trè zenpòtan! Soufle zèb gazon ak fèy bwanan lari epi sou twotwa oubyen nan twou egouyo se yon enfraksyon dapre Kòd lalwa KonteMiami-Dade, Seksyon 15-6. Moun ki vyole kòdlalwa sa-a ka resevwa yon amann ki monte jiska$1000.00 chak fwa yo kenbe l.

Kouman konpayi w la ka jere zèb gazon ak fèy bwa pou anpeche pwoblèm nan anviwonman an epi evite pran amann? Men sa ou ka fè:• Mete yo nan sache: Bale, pase rato epi mete yo

nan sache oubyen nan yon kontenè pou ou ka aljete yo jan sa dwe fèt.

• Resikle yo: Si ou sèvi ak yon blower, soufle zèbgazon ak fèy bwa yo nan lakou kote yo soti a.Y’ap vin sèvi kòm bon jan fètilizan pou gazon an.

Sonje, soufle zèb ak fèy nan lari, sou twotwa epi nan drenaj yo se yon bagay illegal epi sa rann katye a vin lèd. Fè sa ki kòrèk avèk zèb gazon – mete yon nan sache oubyen resikle yo… Pa gaye yo nan lari a.

Grass clippings can clog storm drains and cause flooding.Zèb gazon kapab bouche twou egou yo epi yo ka lakòz gwo inondasyon.