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Burning:

Burning of household waste is a major source of toxic emissions that damage both human health and the environment. The smoke from burning household waste in a burn barrel or open dump is released close to the ground where people can easily breathe it. The smoke can also deposit hazardous substances on subsistence foods. Young children may be at greater risk than adults because of their playing behaviors and their small size and developing bodies. Open burning can also be the cause of residential, brush, and forest fires.

Burn barrels smolder, and rarely reach temperatures over 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which means combustion is incomplete and greater amounts of harmful chemicals are released into the air. Permitted incinerators operate at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to insure complete combustion, and they use efficient filters to reduce harmful emissions. Burning about 10 pounds of trash a day in a household burn barrel may produce as much air pollution as a modern, well-controlled incinerator burning 400,000 pounds of trash a day. Burn barrels release large quantities of dioxins and furans which are considered some of the most toxic man-made compounds. The EPA estimated the emissions of dioxins and furans (on a toxicity-weighted basis) from backyard burning alone are greater than for all other sources combined for the years 2002-2004.

The burning of buildings and other structures solely for the purpose of demolition is not an acceptable environmental practice. If a permit is received to burn abandoned buildings all reasonable measures should be taken to remove the following materials from the structure prior to burning:

• Asbestos insulation, siding, shingles and other materials
  
  
• Urea formaldehyde foam insulation
  
  
• Vinyl siding
  
  
• Synthetic carpets
  
  
• Linoleum
  
  
• Fluorescent fixtures including the ballast and fluorescent tubes
  
  
• Glycols from heating systems
  
  
• Refrigerant agents (i.e. chlorofluorocarbons and ammonia) from refrigeration and air conditioning systems
  
  
• PVC and ABS piping and other plastics, where accessible
  
  
• Thermostats that contain mercury switches
  
  
• Fire extinguishers
  
  
• Rubber
  
  
• Pesticides, paints, solvents and cleaning, maintenance and other unused chemicals
  
  
• Smoke detectors
  
  
• Treated wood, where practical

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Last updated: July 10, 2015