We bought a small piece of land beside us over 9 years ago. It had one of those long-term junk piles on it, fortunately not food garbage but lots of metal, tires, soda bottles, etc. We called a metal recycler to get a huge part of it, but there is cleanup yet to be done.

Sure wish there was serious enforcement of the laws against burning trash and garbage, too! We've had neighbors doing that for years but there is no one to report it to; we're told that the sheriff's office can't/won't enforce the law.

Posted by: SPA

March 11, 2013 at 8:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Tank: "I'm not sure how many folks in rural areas know that burning their own trash is illegal.">>

Not enough of them.

I may have to go on the war path on this one. Living just out side of the city we have perfectly pleasant Romney supporting neighbors (within a stones throw but it hasn't come to that) who burn all of their garbage. One fellow simply piles it in his driveway behind his house, douses it with something flammable and rakes it around as it burns and spews toxic wonders into everyone's air. Then he scoops it up with a tractor and buries it in the back of a two acre lot. Creeks are nearby.

We pay a small amount ($18 a month) for a weekly pick up but manage to recycle most of our garbage. We've offered to share our trash pick-up (we only need about every second week), and even do their recycling for them by taking it along with ours. One side said they just "hate the notion of landfills." For some reason it's some kind of redneck tradition to burn your own garbage. It's illegal in every state and since it's a low temperature burn it necessarily spews all sorts of nasty toxic chemicals into the air. The gagging plastic stench just hangs in the air. The previous owner (circa 2006) contracted cancer, I've had cancer (ten+ years ago) and last year I had a goat die of cancer (the vet said this is really rare). And she was a really good goat.

Belle: http://fayfreethinkers.com/images/bel...

If anyone has ideas about how best to deal with this short of getting them in trouble and/or fined, I am open to suggestions.

D.
-------------
"Burning Trash: Pollutants and Health Risks"

Excerpt:

What's in the Smoke?
...Here are some of the air pollutants that have been found in the smoke from a burn barrel and their potential health risks:

Dioxins and furans (immune suppressions, hormone system disruption, cancer)

Benzene (leukemia)

Formaldehyde (eye, nose and throat irritant, difficulty in breathing, skin rashes, cancer)

Particulate matter (respiratory problems, cardiac arrhythmia, heart attacks)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cancer)

Hydrogen chloride (corrosive to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes, may cause respiratory tract irritation and chronic bronchitis)

Hydrogen cyanide (neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and thyroid effects)

Carbon monoxide (reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood)

Ash which may contain the following heavy metals: Cadmium (lung damage, kidney disease)

Arsenic (gastrointestinal problems, anemia, kidney and liver disease, cancer)

Mercury (nervous system and kidney damage)

Chromium (respiratory effects, cancer)"

http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/32060....

Posted by: fayfreethinker

March 11, 2013 at 6:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )