Make leaf mould compost out of them, separate from your compost heap or bin. Put them in black binliners to the top, wet the leaves if they're dry, poke a few holes in the bottom of the bag, tie the top shut, stand somewhere out of sight on open ground for up to two years. After which time, the bags will have collapsed down and will have a thickish layer of rich, black, soil like compost inside, ready for use on your borders and beds. Shouldn't be a problem from a pathogen point of view - any fungal spores are in the air already anyway.

I sure hope it's a good idea John - I already have 4 bags of it that I've put through my leaf vac. ! Glad to see Bamboo said it was.

That's what I do. I pile fallen leaves onto my raised vegetable bed and let it break down all winter. It provides erosion control and cover/food for the earthworms. In the Spring I just turn it under. It really helps to rebuild the ground for the next season.