County wide Burn Ban and Outdoor Burning

7/30/2020 (Permalink)

Outdoor fire safety can prevent large scale fires.

McLennan county is currently under a burn ban as of July 28, 2020 which means that outdoor burning is prohibited in all unincorporated areas (Burn Ban Rules). Exceptions include fully covered and attended outdoor fires contained within a barrel or hopper. If you’re a welder, there are no exceptions, so outdoor burning is not permitted. 

 The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality provides us with general requirements for outdoor burning to help us. Here are a few:

• notify the Texas A&M Forest Service before proceeding with a controlled burn intended for forest management
• note which direction of the wind is blowing and be aware of weather conditions
• do not burn items that contain natural/synthetic rubber, electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, non-wooden construction or demolition materials, heavy oils, asphaltic materials, (potentially) explosive materials or chemical waste.

They also provided some pretty practical alternatives to burning that we should all consider regarding the disposal of waste (pdf guide):

1. Recycling
2. Composting
3. Mechanical chipping or mulching
4. Logging
5. Landfills (call your local landfill for information regarding recycling and brush collection)
6. Air-curtain incineration (trench burning; requires federal operating permit.