Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant | University of Illinois

Learn Not to Burn Home

Introduction

Examples of Trash Burning Reduction Programs

Trash Burning Laws in the Great Lakes States

Model Ordinances Regulating Household Trash Burning

Education and Outreach Materials

The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District Toolkit

Solid Waste Management Infrastructures and Alternatives

Acknowledgments

Evaluation Form

Solid Waste Management Infrastructure and Alternatives

One rationale often cited by people who burn their household trash is that burning is the only feasible or convenient way for them to dispose of waste. Therefore, it is important to provide trash burning alternatives to communities via the establishment of waste management infrastructure. This section contains the following resources to help your community establish a waste management infrastructure:

The Minnesota Solid Waste Administrator’s Association has provided a sample solid waste ordinance for counties to establish waste management departments. It addresses all aspects of waste management, including:

provisions for inspections and oversight
proper collection and containment procedures
principles for siting waste management facilities
fee structures
mandatory recycling and yard waste management
licensing requirements for waste management contractors

Examples of two Minnesota counties’ adaptations of this ordinance are also included. Stearns and Hubbard Counties in Minnesota each have created ordinances establishing waste management systems, and both include language regulating burn barrels. The other Great Lakes states may have different requirements, but these ordinances can serve as an indication of the types of issues that should be considered in solid waste legislation.

Also included in this section is Waste Transfer Stations: A Manual for Decision-Making, a manual published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This publication defines what a transfer station is and how it relates to municipal solid waste management in the context of a community’s total waste management plan. The manual identifies issues and factors to consider when deciding to build a transfer station such as design, site selection, and community involvement.