Pine needles make excellent mulch / compost for roses and tomatoes who love acidic soil. Tree trimmers will gladly drop off a load of mulch if they're in your area... it saves them paying dump fees. Your local dump will gladly load a pickup bed full for a small gratuity. Suburban folk rake their leaves to the street for the county to dispose of, and you can easily fill a pickup bed full... just remember to bring a tarp to cover them. Grass clippings are great too, but beware if you use fertilizers as they get HOT as they decompose!
