Alternatives to Burning compostpic

Contacts
Jim Kelly (404)363-7131

District Office Locations and Contact Information

 

Some alternatives to burning are:

  • Yard trimmings (leaves, brush, grass clippings, shrub and tree prunings, vegetative residuals, etc.)
    • Composting, mulching, chipping, natural decomposition, etc. are recommended alternatives. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) brochure, “Composting at Home in Georgia” tells you more about composting yard trimmings.
    • Many municipal landfills and convenience centers accept yard trimmings from residents and process them into compost and mulch. Contact your local solid waste department to learn about local yard trimming recycling options or go to Earth911 to find local information for yard trimming management and other recycling options.
    • For more information on yard trimmings management, contact the Department of Community Affairs, Office of Environmental Management at (404) 679-4940.
  • Land clearing debris (trees, stumps, limbs, etc.)
    • Chip, shred, or grind the debris on site and reuse as mulch, erosion control, or walk paths.
    • Several companies in Georgia offer mobile, on-site grinding services. These grinding services can be found in your local yellow pages, or in the DCA Recycling Markets Directory.
    • Haul the debris to a commercial or municipal processing/grinding/composting operation. These services can be found in your local yellow pages or online.
    • Haul the debris to a permit-by-rule inert waste landfill. A list of current inert landfills can be found on the Land Protection Branch Solid Waste Management Program website. Open the excel file titled "List of Solid Waste Inert Disposal Facilities."
    • Haul the debris to a permitted construction and demolition (C&D) landfill. The C&D landfills can be found in your local yellow pages. Current permitted C&D landfills can also be found on the Land Protection Branch Solid Waste Management Program website. Open the excel file titled "List of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities."

    • For more information about the Open Burning Ban, contact the EPD’s Air Protection Branch at (404) 363-7000 or the appropriate EPD District office for a specific county. Questions about options for handling the solid waste can be directed to the EPD’s Land Protection Branch at (404) 362-2537.

Other helpful websites: