# Disgusting garbage burning neighbor



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I cant take it...
Doors and windows are shut. Went outdoors to take care of my precious critters and that dastardly garbage burning is at it agin...burning diapers and plastic and whatnot. My eyes are red, head is swollen and i am coughing. Why do people think it is ok to do this?
We are far out in the country, they are at least a half mile away, but the fumes/stench is killing me. I have called the cops (different township than me, no local PD, only staties) the township office etc...I offered to pay their garbage bill...no relief.
So much for enjoying my peaceful, paid for home


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Um, if you are far out in the country, and they are a half mile away, I'm not really sure you have a leg to stand on. Burn barrels are the norm in many, many rural areas. 

It would be like me standing out in public, smoking a cigarrette, and someone half a block away complains to the police that my second-hand smoke is a danger to them.... um, really?


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## bloogrssgrl (Jan 20, 2008)

beaglebiz said:


> I cant take it...
> Doors and windows are shut. Went outdoors to take care of my precious critters and that dastardly garbage burning is at it agin...burning diapers and plastic and whatnot. My eyes are red, head is swollen and i am coughing. Why do people think it is ok to do this?
> We are far out in the country, they are at least a half mile away, but the fumes/stench is killing me. I have called the cops (different township than me, no local PD, only staties) the township office etc...I offered to pay their garbage bill...no relief.
> So much for enjoying my peaceful, paid for home


Did you try going to their township officials to make a complaint? Or going to a supervisor's meeting and raising a ruckus? You might get some help from them, especially if it is affecting your health.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Jill, If you were here now, and could smell the plastic burnt fumes I think you would feel differently. They are across the state road a few lots down. I cant understand why they need to burn plastic and diapers on holidays, nice sunny days when the clothes are on the line etc. (and a nice bright fall evening like tonight) Im not complaining about a second hand smoke smell. We have a woodburner and a recently built outdoor bread oven ourselves. This is like a poison gas that wafts down and lingers, stinking up my world. Garbage pickup in these parts is a 1.50 a bag.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I would start by inviting the neighbor over for an afternoon bbq. You may or may not have legal rights, but I guarantee you will always have neighbors. How would you respond to having your neighbors calling the police for doing something you felt was perfectly legal and legitimate? Personally I would prefer to get along with my neighbors, and have found that a couple beers around a bbq goes down a lot better than police cars pulling up out front.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Most states do not allow burning of plastics in burn barrels. You will probably need to go to the state EPA about this.

Keep trying with the neighbor, and then document it when they still refuse to alter their plastic burning.

Yeah , burn barrels are a staple of rural areas, but they used to only burn wood scrap, paper and cardboard, tin cans and glass jars. Now with all the plastics, they are not burning the same materials.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Yvonne'sHubby, they know its wrong, DH has gone to talk with them a few times (we have an asthmatic child) and offered to pay for the pickup. He is very calm and easygoing, and they always speak nicely to him, then the burning happens two days later.
GoldenCityMuse, thats how it is here too...you can burn twigs, papers and wood.
I was just venting, because I cant stand the stinking smell anymore!!


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## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

The old lady across the street burns garbage all the time. While I don't enjoy the smell of burning plastic it could be worse, I could live next to a field were someone spreads human waste (there are such fields around here). Where I live people burn everything from old magazines to old tires. I send all my trash to the school dumpster, gotta get my money's worth out of my property taxes  

I don't think there is much you can do. Being in the next township over I doubt your going to get any ordinances passed about burning garbage which is the only thing I can see being able to do.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

I agree...contact the EPA.


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

How much research have you done to determine what is and isn't legal to burn in your county? Township? City? Whatever? First, find out what can and can't be burned, what distances must be maintained, limits of acreage, etc. Just as an example, here in MY county, you cannot burn household garbage AT ALL, and 'trash' fires must be either 300 ft. away from another dwelling or on 5 or more acres. 

I had this very problem. After living with it for 7 years, yes SEVEN years, I finally became concerned we were going to eventually develop emphysema, COPD, lung or some other cancer because of constantly breathing burning diapers, styrofoam, plastic bottles, and assorted household garbage. Literally, 4 or 5 days out of every week, for several hours each time, we had to live in the smoke of our neighbor's burning garbage. Literally, I do not exaggerate. 

We tried talking to the neighbor repeatedly. Offered to pay for thier trash service. Nothing worked. It was as if this man was bound and determined he WAS going to burn his garbage and to heck with everyone else. 

I started researching by calling the COUNTY FIRE MARSHALL and asking what was and wasn't legal to burn in our county; and in MY county, it is ILLEGAL to burn what is called 'household garbage', which is food waste, plastics, diapers, wrappers, food containers, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, etc etc etc---in other words, garbage that people put in thier kitchen garbage pails. 

It is NOT illegal to burn yard waste and paper trash such as leaves, limbs, wood, cardboard, newspaper, etc. Perfectly legal. 

HOWEVER, our neighbor was putting leaves and sticks *on top of* his household garbage, thus 'disguising' it visually, but when it burned it gave off the telltale black, acrid smoke from burning plastics. 

I also asked the Fire Marshall what other county or state agencies had jurisdiction/authority over burning of household garbage, so I could file complaints with them as well. Was given the name and number of the county environmental office, who I called and filed a complaint with.

ALSO, when the Fire Marshall and environmental agent seemed to balk at actually enforcing the laws that were on the books, I mentioned that I was going to call the COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY and explain my problem to him, and let him know that I had filed complaints with both the Fire Marshall's office and the environment agency's office, and that neither seemed interested in enforcing the law. Further, that we had lived with the problem for seven years and I was very concerned with the future health of myself, husband, and especially my small children. 

THAT was the motivation to get the environmental agent to actually DO SOMETHING in regard to the neighbor. THE THREAT OF LARGE FINES seemed to cure the neighbor's garbage burning problem. 

ALSO, check to see if your county has a law that states something to the effect that you have the RIGHT TO ENJOY your property, and bring that up in your discussion with the Fire Marshall and enviro. agent.

And take pictures if you can. Photograph the garbage if possible, photograph the smoke as it drifts over your property and home. Date and time stamps on digital cameras are very helpful to prove frequency of burning.

I've BTDT, and I stopped the problem! 

Don't be afraid to lean on your local government==after all, THEY work for YOU, and you have the right to use and enjoy your property.


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## JanS (Jul 28, 2002)

Burning plastic gives me an immediate headache so I can sympathize. That said, we do burn occasionally and I have thrown plastic in there myself. Never occurred to me that it might be illegal so I appreciate this thread. I'm lucky that everyone is very "live and let live" in my area but I still don't want to do it if I shouldn't.


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

Ugh. That's disgusting.

And possibly very hazardous to your health.

Some plastics can be burned and give off only a nasty smell.
Other types of plastics give of dioxins when burned. Dioxin is a known human carcinogen and the most potent synthetic carcinogen ever tested in laboratory animals. In other words, cancer causing. And once it's in your system, it just keeps accumulating. No getting rid of it.

I agree with JuliaAnn. Keep trying every possible source. I highly doubt it's legal for him to be doing. And really, if he's too cheap or poor to pay for garbage pickup, then he shouldn't be spending money on disposable diapers. Maybe you should buy him a pack of cloth diapers, some laundry soap, and give him a little chart that shows him how much money he'll save using them!!!! 

Good luck!


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## Qhorseman (Jul 9, 2010)

Burning is our only option here, Waste Management will not come into our area. Its only illegal to burn tires, we just wait until it dark so they can't see the smoke.


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Qhorseman said:


> Burning is our only option here, Waste Management will not come into our area. Its only illegal to burn tires, we just wait until it dark so they can't see the smoke.


_You_ can haul your garbage somehwere- guess it would be inconvenient to take it to the dump and pay every week or two especially if you have to wait in line to weigh your 40 pounds of garbage with the 2 ton trucks, but burning is NOT your only option.


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Maybe there is someone else who has service that would let you add your household trash to theirs--maybe a relative or good friend in town, or perhaps the dumpster where you or your spouse works? 

We also offered to let the neighbor put their trash bags next to our trash cans on trash day, but he wouldn't even do that!


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Qhorseman said:


> Burning is our only option here, Waste Management will not come into our area. Its only illegal to burn tires, we just wait until it dark so they can't see the smoke.


 True as I burn everything except tires. Everything I throw out gets brunt, bar none.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

This is sort of like the parallel to the situation where the city dude buys rural land and can't stand the smell and noise of the animals and then calls on officials demanding the law be changed. I'll shut my mouth now.


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## Qhorseman (Jul 9, 2010)

Jenn said:


> _You_ can haul your garbage somehwere- guess it would be inconvenient to take it to the dump and pay every week or two especially if you have to wait in line to weigh your 40 pounds of garbage with the 2 ton trucks, but burning is NOT your only option.


We do not have a certified dump in our county. Waste Management hauls it two counties over. We have five houses on our road, all of us went together to Waste Management and said we would all sign up for service, they still refused. So, I dig a big hole with the track loader and burn trash in it, when it is almost full I fill it in, pack it down with the track loader.


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## Wis Bang 2 (Jan 12, 2010)

beaglebiz said:


> I cant take it...
> Doors and windows are shut. Went outdoors to take care of my precious critters and that dastardly garbage burning is at it agin...burning diapers and plastic and whatnot. My eyes are red, head is swollen and i am coughing. Why do people think it is ok to do this?
> We are far out in the country, they are at least a half mile away, but the fumes/stench is killing me. I have called the cops (different township than me, no local PD, only staties) the township office etc...I offered to pay their garbage bill...no relief.
> So much for enjoying my peaceful, paid for home


Look up the county health dept. Every odor complaint I've dealt with in NJ was served by the county health dept. We cleaned chemical tankers and had a problem with the smell of the monomers used to make acrylic plastic. One company paid a $2500,00 fine over that smell...One supplier developed a chemical product that reacted in the tanker to eliminate the smell. $300/ gal and we needed a quart per tanker...our customers gladly paid the price & the neighbors were much happier.

The Sunday after 9/11; I was in the company shop working on installing a new engine in my pickup when the health guy showed up over an odor complaint...we were only about 20 miles from the WTC site and out usual complainer thought it was us!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Windy in Kansas said:


> This is sort of like the parallel to the situation where the city dude buys rural land and can't stand the smell and noise of the animals and then calls on officials demanding the law be changed. I'll shut my mouth now.


Windy...We all have animals. smells dont bother me in the least. I love hearing the roos crow and the cattle mooing up the street. These are poison noxious fumes. I was venting, because it was particularly bad last night, and I do have an asthmatic child that was born long after we lived here and long after our pllace was paid off. I offered to pay for the trash.
I also dont buy things like disposable diapers (we used cloth) or items heavily packaged in plastic or items not made in America if I can help it. I truly dont see the parallel you are talking about.

Thanks folks for all of the tips...I need to either quit complaining or step it up a bit with getting this resolved


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## mare (Aug 31, 2006)

I send all my trash to the school dumpster, gotta get my money's worth out of my property taxes  

ah i wouldnt advertise that,its illegal and carries a BIG fine if you get caught--at least in mn


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

PhilJohnson said:


> I send all my trash to the school dumpster, gotta get my money's worth out of my property taxes


How does all your trash end up in the school dumpster?


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

What's with Phil? Are you actually sending a little bag of garbage with your children when they go to school or are you actually driving to the school and throwing it in the dumpster?

If the latter, that is ILLEGAL and if caught you can expect a visit from the police and probably some fines. If sending it with your children (while maybe not illegal) I'm not sure how you think it's fair that your garbage goes to school while your neighbors pay for trash service.

(Revised - I didn't read mare's information close enough.)


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## SunsetSonata (Nov 23, 2006)

Don't "dump" on mare, who was only quoting Phil!


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Beaglebiz, on Monday, just get out your phone book, look up the phone numbers to your county fire marshall, the county environmental agency (or nearest environmental agency, no doubt they can refer you to whoever you need to speak to) and for good measure your county's district attorney, and make some calls. It's easy, just remember these folks are paid to answer your questions and know the laws on the books. I say use the D.A. as pressure if you need to, because if you don't get much response from the other agencies, your D.A. will definitely want to hear from you about it. I have discovered that the county D.A. to be one of the most helpful offices when dealing with things like this. They're there to help YOU.

I think the attitude among a lot of people is that they don't mind burning their garbage and having the smoke engulf their neighbor's place.... so why should the neighbor mind? I mean, the guy burning isn't breathing the toxic fumes, so it's not bothering him... so why shouldn't the neighbor mind? 

Animal smells are not known toxins. I keep animals myself, as do my neighbors, and the smell of manure isn't objectionable. That's not what this subject is even about, anyway.

I really wish those burning plastic, tires, etc. would have to sit and breathe their own smoke for days on end. But I"ll be willing to bet money *they* don't breathe it, but rather build their fires well away from their own homes and so the smoke blows away from their own homes. But hey, if the guy next property over complains, then he's a city idiot who wants to move to the country and change everyone's way of life.

Further, when someone decides to burn their garbage, their children ought to be exposed to it...after all, the kids next property over are exposed to it, so it's only right, yes? Maybe, just maybe the sight and sound of their OWN children coughing and hacking up phlegm with black bits in it will get through to them. Let their own children wheeze and gasp for breath, and come in from playing outside smelling like burning diapers. After all, the neighbor's children probably smell like burning diapers when they come in from playing... No, I don't really mean that their children should have to breathe the smoke too. Just trying to make an illustrative point. If someone is willing to expose someone else's children to something like that, it proves how callous they are in that regard.

Burning garbage is lazy, it's selfish, it's MASSIVELY inconsiderate, and it's a very real hazard to other people's health. I wouldn't drive recklessly because I might hurt an innocent bystander--why in the world would I burn plastics and other things that give off toxic smoke? That is also harmful, especially over the long term.

I'll be truthful--I am MORE concerned about people's LUNGS and overall HEALTH than I am about the environment on this issue. I've had two family members DIE of COPD, and it really woke me up to what long term exposure to toxic and hazardous materials can do to a person. It can KILL them. Maybe not right now, maybe not in 5 years, but yes, exposure to toxic things WILL have a cumulative effect. My poor uncle was only 60 when he died last year. My cousin was 52 when he died two years ago.

I'm not nice at all on this subject. If people are ILLEGALLY burning toxic garbage don't care about themselves, their own family, or their neighbors, they fully deserve every fine they get!!


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## FiddleKat (Oct 22, 2004)

Burning garbage can become toxic depending on what they are burning. Like plastics and such.
The only thing I can suggest is fight fire with fire. no pun intended. But maybe smoke them out with burning.


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## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

Oh, BeagleBiz, I can relate with how you are feeling! We call our home the "smokey mountains." Don't you wish that you had a huge fan and could blow that smoke in their direction? 

I was raised in the country, burned trash every day for my parents, so I'm not some city slicker coming into the country to complain.

When you have to live with smoke and yes, toxic smoke on almost a daily basis, it is very frustrating. I have to take the laundry down, close the windows, have the children come in from playing, basically have had to limit my activity because of someone else's smoke.

This summer the neighbor was burning plastic, I had to get our camper ready to go on vacation, so I had no choice but to be in and out of the house multiple times. I was coughing, my throat and my nose burned and I became all congested. The neighbor came over to talk. I asked him "what are you burning?" he told me and saw how I was reacting physically. He apologized and left. I honestly don't think people realize, that what they do affects other people. 

I now have a lung condition, not a direct result from the above, but from something that happened the next day. (Although, the dr. said breathing in those plastic fumes could have contributed to my problem.) It is no fun whatsoever not to be able to catch your breath. I didn't realize how difficult life can be when you have to struggle or work for each breath.

I also have offered the neighbor the use of our trash pickup, which he declined. Our area was under an open burning ban and I am thankful that the burning has slacked off from this particular neighbor. The neighbor 2 houses down still burns almost every day. Unfortunately, our house is situated such that the wind currents blow our way and the smoke hovers over us. I would love to move and this smoke is one of the top reasons.

I want to get along with the neighbors. I want them to be able to do what they want on their property, but so do I. For most people, I think there are other options available other than burning.

JuliaAnn, you gave some good advice, thank you.


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## Pink_Carnation (Apr 21, 2006)

Move here...no trash burning allowed only recreational fires.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

Well the wind is got to shift wait till they are having a cook out catch the wind in that direction build your own fire :shrug: When it gets going good run up the road and apologize profusely if they aren't brain dead they will get the point . If you aren't careful you will get in a EPA ,call the cops ect war . :lookout:

Fellow told me once Son you get in a peeing contest with a skunk you lose even if you win :shrug:


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

In the scheme of life, burning barrels are not a major crime. I can understand why the police are pretty much ignoring the complaint. Somethings in life are a lot more important than others.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

buy the lot upwind of them and put a bunch of pigs on it. Im going to do that one day in the village Im in. long story but I always give as good as I recive.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

mekasmom said:


> In the scheme of life, burning barrels are not a major crime. I can understand why the police are pretty much ignoring the complaint. Somethings in life are a lot more important than others.


Yeah, all those silly health problems caused by the burning plastic are SO unimportant. What WAS the OP thinking?


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## greif (May 31, 2009)

a couple sticks of tnt in barre.....did I say that?

do you have have a dept of natural resources..... they might look into it


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

mekasmom said:


> In the scheme of life, burning barrels are not a major crime. I can understand why the police are pretty much ignoring the complaint. Somethings in life are a lot more important than others.


You mean like the health and welfare of your children? Breathing in cancer causing chemicals?


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## SunsetSonata (Nov 23, 2006)

I wonder how many people reading this thread are actually guilty of causing this kind of unhappiness upon a neighbor. I bet people never considered how far the fumes actually reach.


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

I like that you offered to pay for his trash service.
To me it sounds like your a reasonable "Fixer" not a complainer.
BUT I know how it goes lots of times people offer to make something right then don't .Maybe this guy feels the same? 
It sounds like you and he still get along so here's what Id do if you are serious.
Id go over and say something like the following.
" I got to thinking you might not think I'm serious about paying your trash service,*so you wont burn,* would you be offended if I called and set it up had them bring out a nice animal proof tote and have the bill sent to me?"
If he agrees FOLOW THRU!
Be prepared though, we have a garbage route and and some our customers with UNLIMITED garbage pickup still insist on burning stuff....and we cant haul away burnt material!


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Qhorseman said:


> Burning is our only option here, Waste Management will not come into our area. Its only illegal to burn tires, we just wait until it dark so they can't see the smoke.





Jenn said:


> _You_ can haul your garbage somehwere- guess it would be inconvenient to take it to the dump and pay every week or two especially if you have to wait in line to weigh your 40 pounds of garbage with the 2 ton trucks, but burning is NOT your only option.





arabian knight said:


> True as I burn everything except tires. Everything I throw out gets brunt, bar none.





Qhorseman said:


> We do not have a certified dump in our county. Waste Management hauls it two counties over. We have five houses on our road, all of us went together to Waste Management and said we would all sign up for service, they still refused. So, I dig a big hole with the track loader and burn trash in it, when it is almost full I fill it in, pack it down with the track loader.


LOL wow that's getting serious!
Id see if i could find a smaller trash hauler than WM who for a price would pick up the 5 of you. Make it a 5 person deal and it becomes more attractive. Make it a once week single dumpster for all or once a month dumpster for each and it becomes more attractive to the small guy. but in any case a smaller operation is more likely to "deal"




JuliaAnn said:


> Maybe there is someone else who has service that would let you add your household trash to theirs--maybe a relative or good friend in town, or perhaps the dumpster where you or your spouse works?
> 
> We also offered to let the neighbor put their trash bags next to our trash cans on trash day, but he wouldn't even do that!


 I'm glad he didn't ,unless your account is set up that way its theft of services and not legal even if you do give permission.


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

beaglebiz said:


> .I offered to pay their garbage bill...no relief.
> So much for enjoying my peaceful, paid for home


thats too bad. Id happily take someone up on that if my burning was causing a problem. or even split the cost. burn at a differnt time of the day. something.


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## Forlane (Jul 17, 2010)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/05/AR2010080506807.html


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I am sure that being in a area like that sure would casue a problem. But one person burning? Not the same when compared to a area that is what is poluting the atmosphere.
I mean my ggodness a whole huge area of brown cloud from burning stuff is quite differednt then one person once a week or so.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Arabian knight...wish you could come over and see for yourself. t happens several tmes a week. I called the township again, and will need to attend the next meeting. 
I plan to send DH over with some home made beer (again) to see if he can get further.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

beaglebiz I sure feel for you--- the way I see it--it's like someone dumping upstream in a crick that runs through thier property and saying "oh well it's my propery and I can do what I want" without thinking about the people down stream who are getting poisoned. It's the same with air quality...

Why must folks be so inconsiderate to others?


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

I can't quite get my head around burning trash every day! Once a week is all we need.... But without hesitation, if it caused our neighbor a problem, we'd quit.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

You've received a lot of ideas here and wish I could help but I'd probably be crying as I called the health department and my children would be crying when they went with me to ask the neighbor to please burn trash on days when the winds were blowing away from us. And each of us would be carrying a box of tissue and handing the used tissues over to the neighbor to dispose of and sneezing a time or two in the direction of the neighbor making certain that neighbor got a dose of snot somewhere on his porch. It's entirely a sad sight to have women and children crying at your front door. 

If that didn't work then I'd wear the dust/protective masks and make the best of it. Take photos and share on Facebook or with friends/neighbors and be certain to tell why the masks are needed.


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