Farm Horizons
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June 6, 2016
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Page 26
Burning garbage is illegal in Minnesota
By Keith Goetzman
Torching garbage has serious consequences for the
environment, yet it’s a Minnesota habit that’s been hard
to break.
The little cabin on Sullivan Lake
in Morrison County is trim and tidy,
with a fresh coat of green paint, a
meticulously mowed lawn, and a
rock-rimmed fire ring that looks
like a great place for a marshmallow
roast.
But, as Paul Kuske, conservation
officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, hops
out of his patrol truck for a closer
look, the scene loses a bit of its luster: singed bits of newspaper skitter
across the grass, propelled by a latesummer breeze coming off the lake.
Rummaging through the ashes,
Kuske soon identifies the remains of
household garbage, including melted plastics. A brass nozzle protruding from a tubular
chunk of charred material tells him that a garden hose
was torched.
Burn bans
Of Minnesota’s 87 counties, 31 have passed no-burn
resolutions that ban all garbage burning, and close a
loophole that once allowed farmers to burn agriculturerelated waste.
These resolutions help clear up
confusion about burning laws, and
hold all citizens in the counties to
the same standard. Some Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
solid waste officials hope for a statewide no-burn legislation.
Kick the burn habit
Enforcers can do only so much to
cut down on illegal burning.
Anyone can replace old habits
with new ones:
• Compost or mulch food and
yard waste, which returns nutrients
to soil.
• Bring trash home from the cabin.
• Keep all plastics out of campfires.
• Talk to your family about giving up the burn barrel.
HORSTMAN’S WOODWORK LLC
– OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE –
• FRAMING • POST FRAMING • REMODELING
• BASEMENT FINISHING • DECKS • TRIMWORK
Kevin Horstman
Office: (952) 353-2313 Cell: (952) 292-7089
Lic#20636460