Hold off on your outdoor burning!
Because any form of air pollution can exacerbate the respiratory problems of anyone with COVID-19, the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) hopes residents and businesses will work together to protect public health by reducing the amount of smoke they produce.
The COVID-19 global pandemic has greatly impacted everyone’s lives, with most U.S. Citizens staying home to reduce community spread of the disease. But that means smoke from residential and land clearing burn near neighborhoods will impact even more people. So, for the good of everyone, ORCAA asks that folks refrain from firing up their yard waste and land-clearing slash piles until the need for ‘social distancing’ relaxes.
Residents may make use of alternatives to burning, including curbside pickup services offered by their trash pick-up providers. Compost piles can turn yard waste into valuable soil additives for yard and garden. And chipping can create good ground-cover materials.