Farm Horizons
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June 6, 2016
With debris on the ground and a building and propane
tank nearby, this burn barrel has the potential to start a
larger, more serious fire.
If you see a potential violation, call the TIP line at
800-652-9093; dial #TIP; or notify the MPCA at 800657-3864, or [email protected].
Burning things such as plastics and rubber releases
the potent carcinogen dioxin and other toxic compounds
into the air, soil, and water. Almost all garbage in the
modern waste stream releases toxins when burned, and
these toxins can harm human health, as well as local
wildlife and habitat. Garbage burning also starts wild-
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fires every year in Minnesota.
All morning, Kuske patrols the county, pointing out
evid ence of garbage burning in open fires, and, more
commonly, in burn barrels – usually repurposed 55-gallon drums.
One barrel has boxes and garbage bags sticking out
the top and an inventive PVC-tube air intake at the base.
One is made from a clothes dryer drum with ventilation holes blasted by bullets. Another, crammed with toy
packaging and half-burned fireworks, looks like an oldfashioned woodstove. All are illegal.
Burning garbage, whether in a fire pit or a burn barrel,
has been against the law for decades in this state. But, it
appears that many Minnesotans are still unaware, confused, or defiant when it comes to burning garbage.
In a 2010 survey conducted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 33 percent of rural Minnesotans
said they sometimes burn trash. Kuske and MPCA inspector Jake Brady are two of the faces of the state agencies that enforce Minnesota burning laws.
Where there’s smoke
All across Minnesota, people are burning garbage.
They are jamming cabin trash into barrels and igniting it like Grandpa did. They are tossing cans, bottles,
bait containers, and spent shotgun shells onto campfires.