Clayton residents clash over weekend burning ban

Debate focuses on property rights vs. public health.

Burning leaves and yard debris was a task Ed Stephens usually reserved for weekends at his Clayton County home.

Now, he has to pay someone to do the work because Clayton no longer allows residents living in unincorporated areas to burn on the weekends. The new rule — one of the more restrictive ones in metro Atlanta — has Stephens fuming.

“I’ve got a pile of rubbish that’s been in my yard waiting to be burned. It’s got rats, spiders. I don’t know if it’s any snakes in there. I’ve got rodents I’ve never had before — all because y’all want to play games with our lives,” Stephens told the county commissioners prior to their vote on a compromise. “I’m 62. I don’t feel like I should have to beg for the right to burn my limbs and leaves in my yard at my home that I’ve been living in for 35 years.”

Outdoor burning has been a long-standing ritual in rural areas, a way of getting rid of debris without much cost or fuss. But the ritual is clashing with modern suburbia as more homes are wedged closer together and people fight against the health hazards.

“It’s not just Clayton, people are passionate about this issue,” said James Eason, a unit manager with the Air Protection Branch of the Environmental Protection Division.

The uproar in Clayton has grown more intense, however as the clock is ticking on the amount of time they have left to burn before the statewide ban kicks in. Georgia bans outdoor burning between May 1 and Sept. 30 because ozone levels can reach unhealthy levels during that time. No yard or land-clearing debris can be burned then.

The open burning ban has been in place since 2005. There is a year-round burning ban on household garbage. Georgians can burn at any day during the burn-

CLAYTON COUNTY Resident Ed Stephens told Clayton commissioners: “I don’t feel like I should have to beg for the right to burn my limbs and leaves in my yard at my home that I’ve been living in for 35 years.”