Whirlwind Clean & Green Team Talk
Facilities Management Environmental Services recommendations and advice from our teams in the field. Check back often for updates!
Fall Leaf Clean Up
Fallen leaves can cause many issues, especially when combined with rain, such as clogging storm drains, making roads and walkways slippery, and killing grass and other plants.
Keeping storm drains unclogged provides many benefits, including reduced flooding. Ridding the drains of leaves and other debris also alleviates pollution in local creeks since piles of leaves create poisonous gas when they build up in the underground catch basins. This gas causes oxygen levels to fluctuate to dangerously low levels in nearby creeks and streams where fish and other wildlife live. Unclogging your storm drain takes little time, but does require that you watch the drains, especially in autumn, to make sure they stay clean going into winter.
In the fall rain, leaves left on roads and walkways can become very slippery. This makes your parking lot and roads treacherous to drivers. Slippery walkways are also a trip and fall hazard to your customers. Gutters also need to be cleaned out regularly to ensure excess water on your roof drains away from the building properly.
If leaves are left on the lawn they block sunlight and reduces water evaporation, which can cause fungus, mold and disease. These things alone can wipe out a lawn in a year or two, even if it's cleaned up in the spring. Just like anything in life, a healthy lawn can take a hit and bounce back, but a stressed lawn can be sent over the edge with leaves being allowed to sit for a period of time. Letting leaves sit can leave you reseeding in the spring. Wet, decomposing leaves can also be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Once leaves are cleaned up they can make a great mulch for your plant beds. Leaves can be ground up and then put into plant beds to give nutrients to your plants. The leaf mulch is also a great insulator to protect your plants from the winter cold. Leaf mulch also makes a great weed barrier, as it contains no weeds and suppresses weeds trying to grow.
Remember that there is much more debris on the roads during the fall and sweeper trucks can only handle so much debris at one time, so it is important to increase your sweeping schedule during the fall. Call Whirlwind for a free estimate on leaf cleanup today to keep storm drains, roads, and walkways clear, and keep your grass and other plants alive.
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