Redneck Recycling

Since we live far enough away from the city we have our own special exceptions to county and state laws; I don't have to pay for a smog inspection! The reasoning being that we live in an area where the trees greatly outnumber the people. The carbon given off by my vehicle's emission are quickly reabsorbed into the environment. Another exception we get is that we don't have to wait for designated "burn days". Many people in the Rogue Valley do their own yard work and burn the brush piles, but they have to wait for the county to announce a burn day. With all the work we do around here it is very convenient to burn our paper rubbish and plant debris whenever we want. Like the smog inspection, all of the smoke and ash produced is quickly broken down and reabsorbed by the plants on our property.

Our burn setup: a barrel with a wire net wedged near the bottom and holes drilled into it for ventilation, a top for the barrel to control airflow and prevent embers from escaping, and a metal rod to stir the ash.

Our barrel in action.