Bag or recycle grass clippings to avoid littering

While South Florida's weather allows for beautiful landscapes year-round, it's important to know some lawn maintenance activities can generate litter and create problems with our stormwater drainage systems.

Grass clippings and leaves from lawn care activities that are left on sidewalks and streets or blown into the storm drains can lead to:

• Flooded streets and hazardous driving conditions.
• Grass ending up in canals and decreasing our water quality.
• Increased cost to remove grass obstructions from storm drains.
• Blowing grass clippings and leaves onto streets and sidewalks or into drains is considered littering, which is a violation of Section 15-6 of Miami-Dade County's Code and subject to a fine.

Landscaping professionals and residents are encouraged to either:

• Bag grass clippings and leaves.
• Blow them back onto the lawn where they can serve as a natural mulch.
• Use a mulching lawnmower.

Recycled grass clippings and leaves will act as a mulch or fertilizer, providing valuable nutrients to the lawn or landscaping.

Remember, blowing grass and leaves onto the streets and sidewalks and into storm drains is against the law. It causes flooding and makes our roads impassable.

Do the right thing with leaves and lawn clippings—bag them or recycle them ... just don't blow them away.