What can you really burn?

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 3:31 pm

Does anyone have the definitive word on what you're actually allowed to burn in the burn platforms? I've heard a lot of different things but it seems like most of it is people offering their personal opinions on the subject rather than any sort of official word. I couldn't find much on the BM site other than a general note about not burning anything with toxic materials like rugs and couches.

How about the following:

Structural lumber? (2x4's, etc)
Pressure treated lumber?
Stained wood?
Painted wood? What about different types of paint?
Plywood?
Pine glued together?
Paper plates with food residue?
Bamboo?
Clothing?

etc?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:40 pm

I'd say lightly painted is okay; anything that would smoulder rather than burn (such as wet paper or cloth), synthetic material, and treated wood isn't. Load it so it burns in place and doesn't blow away.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:45 pm

I have opinions about what should be burnt (it all CAN be burnt, technically, even steel), but that is not what the original poster wants to hear.

But, I am pretty darn sure that you are expected to remove the ashes of whatever you burn. Or at least your share...otherwise you aren't really leaving no trace...something many people seem to forget as they prepare to leave.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:58 pm

Ash removal isn't required, and unenforceable in any case. Fishing out metal might be a good idea if tossed in with burnables. Just common sense, bla bla bla.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 5:31 pm

Dork wrote:
Structural lumber? (2x4's, etc)
Pressure treated lumber?
Stained wood?
Painted wood? What about different types of paint?
Plywood?
Pine glued together?
Paper plates with food residue?
Bamboo?
Clothing?

etc?

I was under the impression that you are not supposed to burn anything that has been treated or painted. Those pressure treated lumbers, know as CCA lumber, are the most frightening of all. Check this out:

howstuffworks wrote:Pressure-treated lumber is wood that has been immersed in a liquid preservative and placed in a pressure chamber. The chamber forces the chemical into the wood fibers. The pressurized approach makes sure that the chemical makes it to the core of each piece of wood -- it is much more effective than simply soaking the wood in the chemical.

The most common chemical used to treat lumber is called chromated copper arsenate, or CCA. Copper and arsenic are both toxic to different types of organisms that attack wood. The chromium helps to bond the copper to the wood to prevent leaching. CCA binds to wood fibers very well and allows wood to last decades even when it is in contact with the ground.

Chromium is the stuff that PG&E has been sued for millions for releasing it into water supplies. This has occurred in several places where they treated telephone poles and other wood. Now read this:

Burning:Incineration of CCA wood does not destroy arsenic. It is incredible, but a single 12 foot 2 x 6 contains about 27 grams of Arsenic - enough arsenic to kill 250 adults. Burning CCA wood releases the chemical bond holding Arsenic in the wood, and just one Tablespoon of ash from a CCA wood fire contains a lethal dose of Arsenic. Worse yet, Arsenic gives no warning: it does not have a specific taste or odor to warn you of its presence. No one disputes that the ash from burning CCA wood is highly toxic: It is illegal to burn CCA wood in all 50 states. This has serious implications for firefighters, cleanup and landfill operations.

Even more astonishing, minute amounts of 'fly ash' from burning CCA pressure treated wood, can have serious health consequences. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a family that burned CCA in a wood stove for winter heating. Their hair fell out, all family members suffered severe, recurring nosebleeds, extreme fatigue and debilitating headaches. The parents complained about 'blacking out' for periods of several hours, followed by long periods of extreme disorientation. Both children suffered frequent seizures described as 'grand mal'. The symptoms were finally traced to breathing minute amounts of arsenic laden dust leaking from the furnace as fly ash.

Hopefully that answers your question.

Think about it before you burn anything that was made to be used as a building material.

Need more info? Go here:

http://www.origen.net/ccawood.html

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 5:34 pm

Oh, and you caught this in the second to last paragraph, right:

It is illegal to burn CCA wood in all 50 states

Just thought i'd point that out.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 8:19 pm

It is illegal to burn
anything or smoke in some cases
but we have a permit

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:34 am

Bob wrote:It is illegal to burn
anything or smoke in some cases
but we have a permit

And it would appear that you've been making fine use of it. Do much smoking Bob?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 8:59 am

No... but do feel free to give us an exhaustive list of what's illegal to burn.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:27 am

never mind that it's toxic and harmful to the environment. or that it just was made to be burnt.

Yeah that's a real mature outlook Bob.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:31 am

And if that's exhaustive.... reading that... oh christ...

forget it.

That's pathetic.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:32 am

tonytohono wrote:never mind that it's toxic and harmful to the environment. or that it just was made to be burnt.

Yeah that's a real mature outlook Bob.

WASN'T

one thing I mentioned as being illegal.

That is certainly exhausting.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:57 am

Over the years, people have started flame wars by ranting about burning anything with a splotch of paint or glue, including plywood, or anything coated with zinc such as screws, nails, and other hardware. If you want to go into what's legal or not -- any kind of bonfires or trashburning is illegal in most populated areas. And the CO and organic byproducts of burning untreated, unglued, unpainted lumber can be toxic if the dose is sufficient.

We'd already established that treated wood isn't okay to burn, and to just use common sense, but do please go on as you wish.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:11 am

Perhaps the Earth Guardians can hand out a list of MSDS (material safety data sheet) documents at each burn platform?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:19 am

They read me the Riot Act once.

III · Post by **III** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:22 am

they've threatened to kick me out of the event...

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:30 am

They threatened to tie me down and listen to TipiDan lecture me for a whole hour once.

I was scared. I behaved after that threat.

III · Post by **III** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:32 am

well, it was tipidan threatening to kick me out. i don't know if that made it better or worse...

III · Post by **III** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:33 am

it's much more satisfying to tell *them* to get the heck off the playa so you can clean up after them already...

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:58 pm

They read me the Riot Act once.

For what?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 5:57 pm

Because they thought they were entitled?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:32 am

Dork wrote:
They read me the Riot Act once.
For what?

For being more than three people gathered at once.

Tombro · Post by **Tombro** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:46 am

Hey all.

I'm preparing to build our shower for the year and it looks from this post like there's no real consensus. Dork's original post listed some thing, but the thread devolved into whether the EG's can lecture you and how long you get to pout about it.

Now can I burn plywood on the Playa or not?

Jeez.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:59 pm

the llc wrote:Do NOT Burn Toxic Materials
Most importantly, do not burn materials that are toxic. That includes painted materials, plastics, PVC, couches, rugs, carpets, or decorative items. Treated plywood is NOT ok to burn, nor is composite board. Learn more below in the Frequently Asked Questions.

It's right here on the main site

phil · Post by **phil** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:37 pm

Tombro, I'm going to make a serious suggestion. You've read the posts in this thread, so you know what kind of answers to expect. You've read theCryptofishist's post about treated plywood.

Find out what kind of plywood you have. Find out what's in the glues. Consider the components. Make your best judgment on whether you should burn the wood. Rely on yourself and your own good sense of what's right.

hunter S · Post by **hunter S** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:00 pm

OK....Is not all plywood "wood sheeting" GLUED together to form a sheet?
So how can any "Plywood" not be toxic if it contains glue?

And isn't the "man" built with plywood?

I just ask, at what point can we live with some toxic polutants?

I know more questions! I don't have the answer wish I did.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:51 pm

If your "man" is burning, maybe you should have a doctor look at it.

phil · Post by **phil** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:07 pm

Bob wrote:If your "man" is burning, maybe you should have a doctor look at it.

A laminated woody.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:51 am

If you're not prepared to personally inhale its fumes, then don't burn it.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:22 pm

Did you know that Next Cubes were made of magnesium?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nitroba/se ... 435480450/

http://www.simson.net/hacks/cubefire.html for the story. Go, Steve Jobs!

What can you really burn?

What can you really burn?

Re: What can you really burn?

OK, Yeah, Thanks -- Now, About Plywood