Burning Papers

[Curt Harms]

+1. But I don't have any way to burn it (suburbia), or I might do that.

Do they allow fire pits?

[Jim Becker]

No burning here. Sensitive things get shred, either with our own machine and then recycled or taken to a bulk shredding event locally when there is a large volume, such as with our recent move. We no longer get things like statements, etc., on paper, so the volume of need is pretty low compared to even a few years ago.

[Ole Anderson]

I shred the most sensitive papers, but frankly a lot of what you might shred goes into my trash. With garbage trucks struggling to get all of their pickups for the day, no way are those guys going through the trash looking for data. And once it gets to the landfill, same thing. I don't set the stuff out until just before pickup time. Neighbors would come unglued if they ever saw anyone going through anyone's trash. Helps that we live in a good suburban neighborhood. Scrappers know to go through the day before. Ok, I am a bit of a risk taker, always have been.

[Brian Tymchak]

Do they allow fire pits?

Yes they are allowed and 2 of 3 adjacent neighbors use them. I have a sensitivity to smoke and fire pits are too close to the home for me.

[Jim Becker]

Yes they are allowed and 2 of 3 adjacent neighbors use them. I have a sensitivity to smoke and fire pits are too close to the home for me.

Our new house came with a "fire pit" just off the rear patio. A nice local family is picking it up today, as a matter of fact...it's not our thing. Our younger daughter is going to whine about it, however. But she doesn't live here.

[Roger Feeley]

Mostly throw the papers away. Sometimes we shred. Sometimes, when I walk the dogs, I’ll grab some sensitive papers and tear them up as we walk. The final step is to put the papers in the duecebag and knead it all together. If somebody wants to pick through the dog poop to get my private document, they probably deserve it.

[Michael Weber]

For some reason our town does not want shredded paper to be recycled so my shredder gets dumped in the trash.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I like the water in a pail idea.
Right now we just shred & toss in the recycle bin.

I despise our shredder since it's so tiny.
A dozen pieces of paper and it's full.

It makes little difference though since each time it's the same game. I toss documents in the waste basket, my wife digs them out and shreds them. As she's emptying the shredder, I get the "You should learn to use the shredder" lecture that turns into an argument - that I eventually meekly lose. Then I'm safe for another few months till the Medicare stuff comes in the mail & it starts all over again.

[Doug Garson]

I think Jim made a good point, start by minimizing the paperwork you receive so you have less paper with sensitive information on it, Ole's point is good too. Most of what you burn or shred really has minimal risk if you just recycle it.

[John K Jordan]

Today was burn day. About twice a year I put out the 30" fire pit thingy and burn about a 6" stack of papers; bank statements, medical stuff etc. It's about an hour's commitment including cool down and cleanup.

What do you do?

I used my plasma cutter to make a burn barrel from a stainless steel 55 gallon drum. It should last forever compared to those I've made from normal steel drums which fall apart from the heat after just a couple of years. This one will get red hot on the sides and melt aluminum cans and license plates and glass bottles. I cut the bottom out completely except for a 1" ring to support a grate welded from rebar and set the drum a couple of inches off the ground on four bricks. The fire is gets so hot the grate sometimes softens and sags so I just turn it over occasionally. I cut four air vents in the sides of the bottom. I burn scraps from processing logs into woodturning blanks and sometimes use personal papers to get the fire started.

SS_drums.jpg burn_barrel_stainless.jpg

New heavy-wall stainless steel drums are amazingly expensive but I found these for $50 each behind the local Bubba's Barrels in Knoxville, a bit scratched a dented. Bubba's, BTW, is not what it might sound like - they manufacture high end stainless steel vessels and equipment for the food and brewing industry. They make some beautiful stuff.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

For some reason our town does not want shredded paper to be recycled so my shredder gets dumped in the trash.

Same here. Bagged and trashed, but we have so little that we don't worry about it, despite being a major recycling household...at least based on how filled the recycle bin gets compared to the trash bin. (both the same size...)

[lowell holmes]

I shred the paper and send it to recycle. Our trash collector has a recycle day each week.

[Stan Calow]

A burn barrel is better than the usual backyard fire pit. A barrel gets hot enough to thoroughly burn the paper and the smoke, with less fussing. Neither is exactly legal in our city limits.

I shred but they also stopped taking that as recycle here. I'll use the shreds along with sawdust to soak up water and oil spills. If I feel ambitious, I'll cut off the sensitive info off paper and just shred that.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

There are ways to scan "shreds" and use a computer to put them back together if a crook were really determined. It was actually developed for law enforcement use. We burn. I incinerate old business files too. We have 50 acres and a calm rainy day or calm snowy day is ideal. Folks are so far away, there is no complaint about the smoke.

A neighbor shreds his papers and then adds them to concrete mix in a cement mixer and makes blocks out of the mixture.

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting conversation on this subject.

Burn barrels are not allowed in my area. We do have allowances to burn in small, less than 3', burn pits and up to 10' diameter piles up to 6' high with permits during burn season. The permitted burning is supposed to be only of limbs or other agricultural items from the property where it is being burned. The permits can be downloaded from the state's/county's Clean Air Agency's web site. The areas in town are subject to a permanent burn ban for other than fire pits or BBQs.

In my area most folks have a wood stove for heat. For some of us that is our only source of heat for comfort or cooking when the power is out.

jtk