Monday, October 3, 2011

Air Time: Fight urge to burn falling leaves

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality Program

Autumn sends some people searching for their rakes, so they can gather falling leaves and other yard waste into a pile for burning.

But don’t strike that match just yet.

Lighting up the leaves is illegal in most Washington cities and all urban growth areas because such burning produces smoke that can harm your health when you breathe it. Here’s an Ecology news release with more information.

Instead, take a little time to figure out what you can do with yard waste without burning. That could include chipping material, composting it or taking it to a composting facility.

Our Air Quality Program offers some handy online help, including a clickable map that shows a county-by-county rundown on some of the alternatives to burning in your area.

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