MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The multicolored leaves over houses in Meridian Township look beautiful in the fall. When they finally detach from their homes in the trees and rest in residents' backyards, they turn from a delight to a hindrance.

Raking leaves isn't on the top of anyone's list when it comes to housework. Luckily, unless your home is surrounded by large oaks, you may not have to. According to LeRoy Harvey, Recycling Coordinator for Meridian Township, cutting your grass and leaving the shreds of leaves may be beneficial for your lawn.

"You can mow your leaves into your lawn," says Harvey. "There's a study at Michigan State University where they mowed up to six inches of leaves in the lawn without negatively affecting the turf."

"Grass-cycling" requires mowing the lawn twice over to chop the leaves into smaller pieces. If the lawn is covered with leaves, the easier option may be bagging and dropping leaf bags at local recycling centers. The Meridian Township Recycling Center does not offer pick up for leaves, but does sell 30-gallon bags for $2. Once bagged up, the leaves can be brought to the recycling center for removal.

Another environmental friendly option is composting your leaves. "Putting your leaves into a pile, they will eventually decompose," says Harvey. "It is a way to add nutrients to your soil using nothing but materials at your house: grass leaves, fruit scraps, and vegetables."

Combined with small amounts of moisture or worms, composting takes care of the organic materials around the home while also putting nutrients back into the ground.

Residents are not allowed to burn their leaves, and are advised against raking them into the street.