Recycling yard waste rather than putting it in the trash transforms twigs, leaves, grass clippings and palm fronds into valuable compost, saving precious landfill space. Composting, an easy way to recycle yard waste, can be done at home by an environmentally friendly landscaping business or a local composting yard waste collection program such as those offered by Lee and Collier counties.

Composting, which involves the biodegradation of organic waste to humus, has the potential to lengthen the lifespan of a landfill by diverting approximately 25 percent of the waste stream (15 percent of this is estimated to be yard waste). Recycling yard waste back into the soil is an environmentally sound and economically viable management strategy.

Another method for processing yard waste is chipping brush into small fragments that biodegrade rapidly. Typically, a wood chipper reduces the brush and other yard debris to mulch that can be used in landscape applications. Mulching mowers also recycle plant and wood fiber into the soil.

Manuel Valdez, owner of MPV Organic Lawn Care, located at 5416 Carlton St., in Naples, provides free, organic mulch with landscaping services. For more information, call 239-234-9299 or visit MPVLandg.com.