NORWICH – The Chenango County Public Works Department would like to remind residents that a new state law prohibiting open burning will go into effect next Wednesday.

“It is designed to stop open garbage burning and carries a very large ticket for the offense,” said Waste Management Director Pat Pittsley. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation personnel will follow-up calls on alleged offenders, she said

The county’s DPW plans to disseminate advertising in order to communicate the new regulations to citizens, but must wait for county supervisors to approve the expenditure, which won’t be until after the law takes effect.

The New York State Department of Environmental law is intended to reduce harmful pollutants and the risk of wildfires. The open burning of residential waste will be prohibited in all communities statewide, regardless of population, with exceptions for burning tree limbs and branches at limited times and other certain circumstances. Previously, the ban applied only in towns with populations of 20,000 or more.

Once considered harmless, recent studies demonstrate that open burning releases substantial amounts of dangerous chemicals into the air. A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with DEC and the New York State Department of Health, found that emissions of dioxins and furans from backyard burning alone were greater than those from all other sources combined for the years 2002-04. Trash containing plastics, polystyrene, pressure-treated and painted wood and bleached or colored papers produce harmful chemicals when burned. The study found that burning trash emits arsenic, carbon monoxide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, lead, and hydrogen cyanide, among others.

Nearly 100 wildfires across the state in 2006 were reportedly triggered by open garbage burning. Data from DEC's Forest Protection Division show that debris burning accounted for about 40 percent of wildfires between 1986 and 2006 - more than twice the next most-cited source.

“Burning household trash is dangerous on several levels. It can release potentially dangerous compounds - dioxins and other potential carcinogens - from materials burned in backyard fires. And it is the largest single cause of wildfires in the state,” said Chairman of the Environmental Board and Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis.

Open burning of residential wastes in any city or village or in any town with a population of 20,000 or more has been prohibited since 1972. DEC moved to expand the prohibition to all communities after holding meetings to receive input from stakeholders and state agencies. A proposal was released in May 2008 and was followed up with public hearings and an extended public comment period. Approximately 1,800 comments were reviewed by DEC.

Modifications were made to the original proposal to include an exemption for burning tree limbs and branches in smaller municipalities during certain times of the year.

The regulation bans all open burning except for the following:

• On-site burning of limbs and branches between May 15 and the following March 15 in any town with a total population less than 20,000.