Iowa, This Is The Trash You Legally Cannot Throw In A Bonfire

Summer is bonfire season and while they're delightful, you can't just toss any crap you need to get rid of in a bonfire.

Over the weekend, Scott County went into a burn ban until further notice. Not surprising since it's been hot as blazes and we haven't had very much rain lately. This may squish plans you had to make s'mores and curl up (or goof off) by a summer night bonfire for now.

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But besides being used for celebrations, bonfires are often used to burn trash too. They're often the gigantic ones we see from the highway and think "holy crap what the heck are they burning?!".

Hang on before you toss just any of your old crap in an Iowa bonfire though. There's some stuff you legally cannot dispose of that way. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, it's mainly stuff that can be locally recycled and might emit some kind of synthetic or dangerous stuff into the atmosphere. This is especially true for plastic items. The Iowa DNR says about it:

Emissions include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, acids and toxins such as vinyl chloride, heavy metals, dioxins and furans to name a few. Inhalation may cause immediate irritation or asthmatic attack. Exposure increases the long-term health risks for respiratory problems, cancers, birth defects, developmental abnormalities and other serious health problems for burners and persons downwind. These may occur many years after exposure.

Scroll down to see the kinds of trash you can't toss in a bonfire!