COVINGTON, Ky. - We’ve all been there: Hot and tired after cutting the grass, it seems like a lot of work to fetch a broom or blower and clean the grass clippings out of the street and off the sidewalk.

 

But here’s a reminder: It’s illegal to leave those clippings lay.

 

Why?

 

1)    It’s dangerous. Grass clippings (especially fresh ones) are slippery for bikers and motorcyclists, and the Internet is full of “road rash” and head injury pictures caused by clippings left in the road.

2)    It’s bad for the environment and our health. Grass clippings leach phosphorus and nitrogen into our streams and rivers, promoting the growth of algae and polluting the water supply. And if the grass was treated with fertilizer or pesticides, the contamination is even more dangerous.

3)    It’s bad for drainage. Grass clippings clog storm drains, causing them to back up in heavy rain and creating the potential for erosion and flooded garages and basements.

4)    It’s just plain unsightly.

 

Chapter 95 of the City of Covington’s Code of Ordinances specifically forbids what the law calls “sweep-outs.”

 

So ... clean up the mess.

 

P.S. Sweeping or blowing the clippings right back onto your lawn solves another problem, since yard waste makes up 20 percent of what goes into our landfills, and 50 percent during some parts of the year. There’s even a catchy name for it - “grasscycling.”

 

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