See why the proposed ban has little muscle
What do you do with things you don't want? Do you put it in a trash can by the curb for someone else to haul away, or do you take care of it yourself?
Some people watch as their trash goes up in smoke, but a proposed burn barrel ban has some viewers getting a little heated and wanting answers.
What we found for them is the subject of tonight's Fact Finder Report
When you are talking trash, things can get a little messy.
There are some very high tech ways to dispose of everything we discard. But some people say all they need is a barrel and a light.
Come next spring though that may no longer be an option. The state is preparing to implement a ban on burning household garbage. A change that will likely have a greater impact in northern Michigan
Janis Denman, DNRE Cadillac District Supervisor of Air Quality says,
"It's becoming a bigger issue in the rural areas because that's where trash burning is happening these days."
While it may be a big change for some, Michigan is actually lagging behind other states.
Denman says, "of the Great Lakes states, we are the only one that has no restrictions on the burning of trash."
The threat of a wildfire is one reason for the ban, but the main reason is much smaller: there are a lot more chemicals in trash these days that can be dangerous when inhaled.
Denman, "pollutants that come off are not only toxic, but they are very tiny small particulate matter that can be inhaled deeply into your lungs and cause all sorts of problems just from the irritant."
While many local communities already ban burning trash, a statewide ban will reach farther but may not have much depth.
Denman says, "It is not something we are looking to actively enforce."
That's right. The DNRE is not going to actively enforce a new ban. Denman says instead they will just try to educate offenders about the options and the risks.
Denman says, "The goal is to eliminate trash burning eventually. But we understand it's something ingrained in people and it's a culture change it's not going to happen overnight."
In fact she says it could take a generation for people's to change their habits.
The trash burning ban is set to go into effect April 11th of next year. While you won't be able to burn household trash, you will still be able to burn things like leaves, wood and brush with a burn permit. Click here to read more about the proposed ban.
The DNRE says it has no plans to actively seek out people who break the rule, but if someone complains they can go talk to the offender.
So what do you think about this? Leave your comments below.
