VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -
The EPA is warning homeowners Thursday afternoon, not to burn leaves. It may be against the law and it could put your neighbors and the environment at risk.
Burning leaves inside city limits is illegal and the EPA says there are several reasons behind this rule.
Those piles smolder, and generate a lot of smoke, which is really just air pollution.
Officials tell 14 News for every five pounds of leaves you burn, you put about one pound of poison into the air, and those toxins can be very dangerous for certain people, especially those with asthma, COPD, and bronchitis.
The EPA says there are plenty ways to get rid of your leaves. Burning should not be one of them.
"You can bag them, send them to the landfill, but I would really encourage people, especially those that like to garden, to mulch them up with their lawn mower, spread them on their garden bed, keep them around the bottoms of their shrubs," said Dona Bergman with the EPA. "This gives the critters and the birds places to find cover, scratch around and find food and you'll be enriching the soil and saving landfill space."
If you're caught burning illegally, you can get a ticket of up to $50 or more.
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If you're caught burning illegally, you can get a ticket of up to $50 or more.
