Leonard Bartlett
Burning trash in your backyard can be dangerous to your health and our environment. It's even against the law in some states, so what can you do?
First of all, before any action, you should check which law applies to your area and act accordingly. In some states, you can burn parched, natural vegetation, grown in your backyard.
Household trash and plastic aren't good to burn in any case and it's probably against law in many places, so it's very important to check your local laws.
How to burn my trash?
If you make sure you can do it, there are several measures you must follow. Check with the local fire department to get a specific location where you can burn your trash.
In general, you should locate fire at least 150 feet away from your neighbor's house and 50 feet away from your house. Burn barrels are illegal in most states because they burn at low heat, releasing pollutants into the air.
If you are allowed to use barrels, make sure it's made completely of metal and in fine condition.
Also, don't burn when it's windy or if vegetation is too dry. Newspaper and matches use only to start the fire, keep your fire less than 3 feet tall.
Get a hose, metal rake, and shovel ready before you light. With the shovel, you can smother sparks and fire with dirt if it's needed and rake allows you to quickly return branches that roll off the fire.
Make sure you burn only wast from your backyard like leaves, small branches, or grass. Don't burn poison oak, ivy, and sumac because these poisonous plants will fill the air with toxic gas.
Be responsible
Fire needs your constant attention so make sure you can stay with fire the whole time until the burning area feels cold to touch. Don't leave it without supervision, not even a minute. When you're done douse the fire with water and spread the coals around.
That would be short tips for you if you are allowed to burn trash. If not, there is a solution as well. You can use local garbage and recycling services. Separate your glass, metal, paper, and plastic trash. Compost or chip yard waste and don't forget that you share the same air and water with many people!
