Farm Horizons
•
June 6, 2016
never seen a burn barrel built to legal specs. Most owners of illegal barrels, when questioned, say they use them
only for yard waste. It usually takes only a peek inside
to see otherwise.
Why do so many Minnesotans burn their trash? For
many rural residents responding to that question on the
MPCA’s statewide burning survey, it comes down to
“habit and convenience,” stated MPCA solid waste supervisor Mark Rust.
For many people, he said, it’s an unexamined family practice to burn garbage at the cabin, rural home, or
farm. Some claim they don’t know the law, though it’s
been on the books since the 1980s. A few are well aware
of the law, and determined n ot to follow it. Some rural residents are a long way from garbage and recycling
drop-off sites. Some say they can’t afford the waste
hauling fees in their area.
Several MPCA staff members work to raise awareness
about illegal burning and address the barriers to proper
waste disposal. They’ve produced fliers, web pages, and
other materials stressing the harms of burning. They
created a costumed character named Bernie the Burn
Barrel for events. They work with county health officials
and public health boards.
One MPCA initiative helped Chisago County implement a “burn barrel buy back” program. It encouraged
residents to turn in their barrels, no questions asked,
in return for a six-month, half-off discount on garbage
hauling.
In Lincoln and Redwood counties in southwestern
Minnesota, Fisher worked with local officials and waste
administrators to establish waste and recycling drop-off
sites. The cost for the disposal is spread via a modest tax
or fee throughout a township or county.
“It makes it affordable,” stated Fisher. “We found
in those counties that if you implement a strategy that
works with local communities and townships to provide
convenient, affordable garbage collection and recycling,
folks will no longer burn and they will participate.”
Sparking changes
When DNR conservation officers and local law en-
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Page 29
forcement authorities write a ticket for illegal burning,
it’s typically a misdemeanor, with fines seldom topping
$2,000.
The MPCA focuses on investigating larger-scale violations, and can issue civil penalties starting at $3,500.
Spring and fall – when people tend to do cleaning,
decluttering, and yard work – are the busiest periods.
Kuske takes a keen personal interest in trash burning.
“It’s a pet peeve of mine. I hate the smell of burning
garbage,” he explained. “And it’s incredible how much
backyard burning goes on in this state.”
For years, Kuske taught a class on illegal burning at
the DNR’s conservation officer training academy, urging recruits to take burning violations as seriously as
those involving fish and game. He puts those lessons to
use on his home turf, a central Minnesota county with
many farms and rural residences, as well as lake homes
and cabins.
“Morrison County has a real vast history of burning,”
he stated.
One Fourth of July weekend, Kuske came across a
group of partiers ready to toss a match into a huge fire
pit containing three mattresses and a living room chair.
He has discovered burn barrels being used right next to
propane tanks.
Continued on page 32
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