Illegally burning agricultural trash can release carcinogenic chemicals into the atmosphere and can carry a hefty fine. Disposing of it properly can cost hundreds of dollars and dozens of man hours.
In an industry such as organic dairy farming, where overhead costs are high and plastic waste is omnipresent, illegal open burns are often conducted without a second thought, according to farmer and Waitsfield resident Douglass Turner.
Turner is the owner of Simplicity Farms – a mid-sized organic dairy farm that’s been in his family since 1932. On June 22, he settled a longstanding lawsuit with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources over a series of “clandestine” burns, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
Turner said he had been burning trash in an open, abandoned cellar hole for a number of years without receiving a citation. Originally, he said, the cellar was just a convenient place to dispose of fallen trees and brush that cluttered his 107 acre farm. After that, he began burning cardboard, twine and finally, plastic.
The smell of that burning plastic ultimately triggered an anonymous complaint that pitched Turner and the ANR into a lawsuit for almost 13 months. Turner’s settlement cost him a $5,000 fine and, by his estimation, around $6,500 in cleanup fees.
While ANR attorney John Zaikowski said that open burns happen with unfortunate regularity, the Simplicity Farm burn stands out in his mind as particularly egregious. The news release described the burn site as “a large smoldering pile of material,” including agricultural plastic, a mattress, rugs and painted wood.
Though the open burn laws are available on the ANR’s website, Turner is, by his own admission, “not a computer person.” He said he would have liked more warning about the open burn regulations from the ANR.
“The only thing that really bothers me – because when you’re guilty, you’re guilty – is that the public doesn’t know what the laws are,” he said.
Though the lawsuit was long and did not resolve in his favor, Turner said that he appreciated the ANR legal team’s courtesy during the ordeal, and felt the settlement was fair.
“I’m satisfied with the outcome and I’m glad it’s over,” he said.
