DARKE COUNTY — The Darke County Solid Waste District would like to remind residents that open burning for the purpose of residential waste disposal, including all types of wood building debris, is prohibited within the entire county. Residential waste includes brush, wood, tree trimmings, leaves, grass, weeds, shrubbery and other plant waste material within many villages and cities.

To find proper disposal options for your residential flood debris, contact your local trash hauler.

The open burning contributes to the overall degradation of our air quality and causes breathing difficulties for those suffering from respiratory illnesses like asthma, emphysema and bronchitis.

The Ohio open burning rules prohibit the burning of garbage in all areas and the burning of residential yard waste (including lawn clippings and leaves) in “restricted areas”. By definition, a restricted area is any area located within the boundary of a municipal corporation, plus designated zones extending beyond the boundaries, dependent upon the municipality’s population.

Residents living in “unrestricted areas” — all areas outside of restricted areas — may be permitted to burn residential and agricultural waste which originates on the premises, provided they meet the following requirements:

1. The burn site must be located at least 1,000 feet (approximately 3 football fields) from the nearest inhabited building, not on the premises.

2. The wastes must be stacked and dried to provide the conditions for efficient burning (i.e. green tree limbs do not meet this criterion);

3. The fire may only be set when atmospheric conditions will readily dissipate contaminants;

4. The fire must not create a visibility hazard on roadways, railroad tracks or air fields; and

5. No products may be burned which contain rubber, grease, asphalt or liquid petroleum products.

This district also cautions that “recreational” fires and cooking fires are not intended for waste disposal purposes and are only allowed to contain clean, dry, seasoned firewood, which burns hotter and cleaner than green brush and yard waste.

Please contact your local municipality or the district to determine your disposal options. Homeowners meeting the above criteria are also reminded that open burning during Air Pollution Advisories is prohibited, so be sure to call RAPCA’s Air Line at 937-223-3222 or visit www.rapca.org to make sure no air alerts have been issued.

Information on open burning laws, permits, and alternatives to open burning, can be found at http://www.rapca.org/openburning.htm or by calling your local fire department.