Posted
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 01, 2016
Last fall, the Washington County Board of Commissioners and the Hillsboro City Council passed ordinances to improve air quality through coordinated wood-smoke policies.
As part of last year's rule changes, yard debris burning is prohibited year-round for:
- Residents in the City of Hillsboro.
- Residents in unincorporated Washington County and within the Metro Service District Boundary. Residents who are unsure if they are within this boundary can visit www.co.washington.or.us/air for a link to a map. If the property is within the blue shaded area, yard debris burning is never allowed.
"We know that out of old habit, some people are used to thinking of March 1 as the day they can start backyard burning again," says Matt Davis, senior program coordinator with Washington County Public Health. "We wanted to remind residents of last year's rule changes and offer some alternatives."
Instead of burning, residents can:
- Recycle paper and cardboard in curbside recycling container or take it to a drop-off recycling center.
- Compost yard debris and kitchen scraps at home.
- Reuse old lumber or donate it to a drop-off reuse center.
- Use a wood chipper to make chips for mulch and compost.
- Dispose of waste at a garbage facility and take hazardous materials to a household hazardous waste facility (these items have never been allowed to be burned).
Residents in unincorporated Washington County who live in an area where burning is allowed should check with their local fire department for the daily burn status.
The ordinance also addresses the use of fireplaces, wood stoves and wood stove inserts by residents who live in unincorporated Washington County and the City of Hillsboro.
Each day between November 1 and March 1, the air quality is given a color-coded status. The air quality is monitored for levels of PM2.5, a type of fine air pollution caused in large part by wood smoke. Exposure to wood smoke and PM2.5 can be dangerous, especially for children, older adults and anyone with existing respiratory conditions like asthma.
A "red day alert" means that air quality is unhealthy and that no fireplace or wood stove use is allowed, unless burning wood is a person's only source of heat or if a person is low-income and needs to burn wood for financial reasons. A "yellow day" means air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and a "green day" indicates that air quality is healthy.
"We experienced a relatively mild winter," says Davis. "This meant fewer days with poor air quality. Washington County and the City of Hillsboro jointly issued just one yellow day advisory and no red day alerts."
The County continues to work on developing a wood stove change-out program that will support families who wish to replace their older, uncertified wood stove or wood stove insert.
Residents are encouraged to sign up to receive air quality and wood burning alerts for red days at www.publicalerts.org. More information can be found at www.co.washington.or.us/air.
Media Contact:
Wendy Gordon, Communications Coordinator/PIO503-846-3634
[email protected]