As colorful leaves begin to fall from trees, Clark County Public Health is encouraging residents to properly dispose of leaves to keep them out of streets and the landfill.

Leaves should not be raked or blown into streets. Fallen leaves can clog storm drains and create areas of standing water on roadways, making roads unsafe for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Instead, Public Health encourages residents to take advantage of local disposal options that use leaves to create compost.

Leaves are a nutrient-rich, biodegradable material. But each year, millions of pounds of leaves end up in landfills. When organic waste, like leaves, is left to rot in landfills it creates methane, a toxic greenhouse gas.

Rather than sending leaves to the landfill, Public Health asks residents to place leaves in their curbside yard debris or organics cart, or in their own backyard compost. Residents can also dispose of their leaves for free through the Fall Leaf Coupon program provided by Clark County Public Works and the city of Vancouver.

With a Fall Leaf Coupon, residents can drop off up to 5 cubic yards of leaves at one of four designated sites at no charge from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Residents can get their coupon by:

• Printing a coupon from www.cityofvancouver.us/leafcoupon, www.clarkgreenneighbors.org/leaves, or www.wcnorthwest.com/leaves.
• Clipping a coupon from Waste Connections’ annual recycling newsletter, which will be mailed to all Clark County residences in October.
• Calling Vancouver Solid Waste at 360.487.7160 or emailing solidwaste@cityofvancouver.us to have a coupon mailed.
• Picking up a coupon from Vancouver City Hall, 415 W. 6th Street, City of Vancouver Utility Services, 2323 General Anderson Road, or Waste Connections Customer Service Office, 12115 NE 99th St. #1830, Vancouver.

The four sites for leaf disposal are H&H Wood Recyclers, McFarlane’s Bark and West Van Materials Recovery Center in Vancouver, and Triangle Resources in Camas. Addresses, business hours and more information can be found on the coupon. Coupons in Español, Русский and Tiếng Việt are also available.

The coupons are for residential use only and cannot be redeemed by businesses. Branches and other yard debris are not eligible for free disposal. Loads should be covered during transport, and all bags of leaves will need to be emptied at the disposal site by the resident.

To learn more about backyard composting and for a schedule of free community workshops, visit the Clark County Composter Recycler website.

To report clogged drains and street flooding on roads in unincorporated Clark County, visit the Clark County Public Works website.