Burning Barrels Trash Environment
Series: Your Choice; Your Planet series
From: The Environment Report
Length: 00:05:07
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- Burning Barrels Trash Environment
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- The Environment Report
Backyard burning is one of the blatant sources of pollution that the EPA has not regulated. In some rural areas people burn trash in barrels or pits either because its convenient, or it's considered too expensive to get garbage pick up, or because there doesn't seem to be another alternative.
The complex chemicals emitted from trash burning end up on grass and food grown for animals and humans. It becomes concentrated in the meat and milk from livestock.
The EPA is doing little more than calling for education campaigns.
This piece was first offered to Great Lakes Radio Consortium member stations on March 1, 2004.
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Piece Description
Backyard burning is one of the blatant sources of pollution that the EPA has not regulated. In some rural areas people burn trash in barrels or pits either because its convenient, or it's considered too expensive to get garbage pick up, or because there doesn't seem to be another alternative. The complex chemicals emitted from trash burning end up on grass and food grown for animals and humans. It becomes concentrated in the meat and milk from livestock. The EPA is doing little more than calling for education campaigns. This piece was first offered to Great Lakes Radio Consortium member stations on March 1, 2004.
Broadcast History
First offered to Great Lakes Radio Consortium member stations on March 1, 2004.
Transcript
For most of us, getting rid of the garbage is as simple as setting it at the curb. But not everyone can get garbage pick-up. So, instead, they burn their trash. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Lester Graham reports… that choice could be affecting your health:
(sound of garbage trucks)
It's not been that long ago that people everywhere but in the largest cities burned their trash in a barrel or pit in the backyard. That's not as often the case these days. Garbage trucks make their appointed rounds in cities, small towns, and in some rural areas. But they don't pick up everywhere… or if they do offer service… it's much more expensive because the pick-up is so far out in the country.
Roger Booth lives in a rural area in southwestern Illinois. He says garbage pick-up is not an option for him.
"Well, we burn it and then bury the ashes and things. We don't have a good way to...
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