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| It’s time to make a burning decision
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As the Prineville City Council returns yet again to the issue of how, when, and what type of backyard burning is allowed, policy makers should consider making a swift and final decision on what is best for the community because this issue will not go away.
With the geographical placement of the city, backyard burning has never been an attractive option, as the smoke hovers above our city, trapped, with nowhere to go.
However, the health effects of burning must also be considered.
Like it or not, Prineville is no longer a small town. Neighbors within the city limits rarely live acres apart. As population density increases, the possibility of your neighbor, or their child or pet, being annoyed or even harmed by your burn barrel, increases.
One could argue burning refuse lessens the amount of trash in the landfill. However, many residents chose to burn items other than paper, such as plastic, with detrimental environmental effects. If this plastic were disposed of at the landfill, it could be recycled properly instead of burning holes in the Ozone layer.
The time is now to quit tiptoeing around the issue and make a judgment call.
Residents need to decide if they are willing and able to burn responsibly. The city needs to decide if responsible burning is even possible or enforceable in the city limits. This requires looking ahead toward the populous city Prineville is quickly evolving into, not the one-horse town of the past.
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