Composting effectively eliminates leaf disposal problems in the fall. Chopped dried leaves eventually decompose to only a fraction their original volume. For instance, 100 average sized bags of whole leaves amount to only 17 bags if they are chopped with a lawn mower, a blower/vac, or shredder. Their volume is reduced by 1/6 with this single step. Then they are easily accommodated in a box or bin where, over time, they become 4 or 5 bags of rich compost.
Commercially sold compost bins are something between 3 x 3 x 3 feet and 4 x 4 x 4 feet, the best sizes for a compost bin. Six bags of chopped leaves in a bin this size will settle to 1/2 that volume in one to two months, allowing room for 3 more bags. One month later 1 or 2 more bags of leaves will fit into the bin, leaving only 6 of the original 100 bags of chopped leaves which can be used as mulch for trees, shrubs and garden beds. A 4 x 4 x 4 foot bin, will handle the entire volume of 100 bags of chopped leaves in one bin. By the following fall, those leaves will have decomposed enough to be used as compost around the landscape. The bin will then be free for use for the leaves for next season.
