Don't burn the leaves, burn the ordinance

Baldwin City resident Dennis Waymire likes to take his 11-year-old daughter for walks in the evenings. But during the fall, the Waymires' walks aren't as pleasant because they have to tread through a thick wall of smoke. This is because it's been a longstanding tradition for Baldwin City residents to burn, instead of bag, their leaves. And in the fall, when the leaves tumble from the treetops, littering yards, people stuff them into barrels and light them on fire.

"There are some days that the smoke is overbearing," Waymire said. "And on those days it's definitely at a toxic level."

Last year, concerned for his daughter's, and his own, respiratory system, Waymire did a cursory google search and to his dismay, discovered that the toxins released when leaves are burned can be dangerous, aggravating asthma, and other respiratory problems. Some sites even suggest links to cancer. After digging deeper into his research, Waymire compiled a bunch of information on the dangers and presented it to the Baldwin City Council.

"I introduced it to the council last year, the reason being they are allowing the fires 365 days a year with no regulations," Waymire said. "If we're burning fall leaves, there's no reason to allow it all year."

It took a year for the safety committee to review the information, and on Oct. 4, Baldwin City Council passed an ordinance regulating leaf burning with a 4-1 vote. The new ordinance only allows people to burn leaves 10 times a year, and they have to attain a permit from the city to do so. If a person violates the oridnance, they will receive an open-ended fine from Baldwin City Municipal Court. The suggested amount for a first offense is $25. Oh, and only 25 people per day are allowed to burn at a time.

The problem is, how can the new regulations keep people from chucking garbage, lumber, or junk in with the leaves? And like Waymire pointed out, why should people be allowed to burn leaves all year when they only pose a problem in the fall?

"It's hard to regulate. Is it a leaf fire or construction debris?" Waymire asked.

Waymire said that he's seen kids cease playing outside because of the excessive smoke.

"The trees are so dense down here, if the wind is blowing real heavy the smoke just hangs down here," Waymire said. "There's like a wall of smoke, and that happens quite a bit."

It's pretty backwoodsy that people still burn leaves here. Smoke has been scientifically linked to harm humans. There's no value in a tradition that only serves to provide an easy way out. Burning leaves might not be as costly or labor intensive as bagging, but it produces harmful effects. Is the lazy alternative really worth the risk? The city council evidently thinks so.

"I gave the information to the city council and they've all read it so they all know," Waymire said. "I'm hoping that they do something about it. Now I think it should be banned 100 percent."

And so do I. Give it another year, and maybe they'll think about it.