Cottage Q&A
QUESTIONI was wondering about the possibility of burning paper waste at my cottage on Lake of Bays. Is incineration environmentally acceptable? Would I require a permit?
ANSWER
Generally speaking, of course, it's far better to recycle paper than to burn it. However, there could be circumstances in which burning your paper waste is the most environmentally acceptable option, says Jo-Anne St. Godard, director of development for the Recycling Council of Ontario. "If your cottage is hundreds of kilometres into the boonies, or away out on an island," she explains, "the fuel energy you'd use to get to a recycling depot, and your car or boat emissions, could easily outweigh the benefits of recycling small amounts of paper."
If you are closer to services, though, you should try to recycle what you can. Remember, St. Godard says, that paper is a valuable commodity and can make money for your cottage municipality, in turn benefiting you as a taxpayer. The other option for cottagers is to take their paper waste home, where recycling services are usually nearer to hand.
The Township of Lake of Bays has an active recycling program, with three large landfill transfer stations that have extended summer hours including Saturdays and Sundays. With these facilities available in the area, burning is the least desirable of your options. However, Stephen Hernen, fire chief for Lake of Bays and Huntsville townships, confirms that burning clean materials, including paper, is permissible so long as you follow the local bylaw, which sets out the rules for open burning (including hours, burnable materials, and how the fire must be supervised) in plain language. For a copy of the bylaw, call the Lake of Bays township office at 1-877-566-0005.
* Published in the June 2003 issue of Cottage Life
