I do have two leaf compost bins going now and I have read on line that with the right conditions it can take two years for them to break down. We'll see! My husband picks them up with his mower which shreds them and mixes in some amount of grass clippings, so that should help.
What I did last fall is use shredded leaves as a mulch on my raised beds and then left it in place through the growing season. That mulch layer has now completely decomposed, and I will soon be adding a new layer of shredded leaves from one of our final leaf pick up days.
We are cursed/blessed with an over abundance of leaves each fall, so no need to collect bags from the neighbors on the one day per year that our town offers a fee-based curbside leaf pick up. And, using our own, I know what lawn chemicals are/are not mixed in with the leaves
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