Lake County now bans leaf burning, but some residents 'are not going to stop'

Just as trees were leafing out in April, Antioch-area resident Gary Brown again was the bug in the ear of the Lake County Board.

"I'm back!" the retired cabinetmaker and familiar visitor to the monthly board meeting announced.

As he did before and has continued since, the former carpenters union local president and business agent used his three minutes of public comment making the case to undo or modify the new landscape waste burning restrictions approved in January.

Among the rules is a ban on buying leaves or grass any time. For those with many trees or large lots, disposing of leaves in some instances will become impractical and/or too costly to bag for pickup, opponents say.

"You're making criminals of all of us," Brown declared during the public comment portion of the April board meeting.

The restrictions for unincorporated Lake County became effective June 1.

Lake County had temporary restrictions throughout the pandemic. But before the permanent rules went into effect, Lake was the only county in the metropolitan area without restrictions for burning yard waste in unincorporated areas, according to Eric Waggoner, director of planning, building and development.

Waggoner said the "vast majority" of communities either have outright bans or restrict open burning of leaves and/or landscape waste.

So far, the arguments against Lake County's ban have been theoretical. But as autumn takes hold, the evidence literally will start accumulating.

"The leaves have not started to fall yet so we will see what late October and November brings," said Dan Venturi, Lake Villa Township supervisor.

Venturi said opinions regarding the leaf issue has varied in many discussions he had with residents. Some will ignore the ban contained in the new ordinance and others will discuss with neighbors and, if there are no objections, have a "consent" burn, he said.

"Most will try and be respectful but the rule leaves many in wooded areas with no recourse," Venturi said.

Brown said an overwhelming majority of residents in his area will continue to burn leaves out of necessity.

"People are not going to stop burning," he said. A protest called Burn Fest is being planned for Oct. 29 and 30, according to Brown.

Burning restrictions were enacted, county officials said, to alleviate health impacts resulting from the exposure to smoke from open burning.

"We are always focused on protecting the health, safety and welfare of our residents," Chair Sandy Hart told the county board last week during her October report. "By implementing the permanent open burning restrictions in unincorporated areas of Lake County, we hope to reduce exposure to smoke and help improve our air quality."

Inhaling chemicals and fine particles from leaf smoke, for example, can worsen shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness and other symptoms of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or bronchitis, health officials say.

Because a significant portion of north and western Lake County is unincorporated - more so than most other areas - Brown and others contend the board failed to represent the entire county and ignored overwhelming public opinion against the ban in their area.

People are not going to stop burning without a say so, he added.

"The local areas know what is best for their community while keeping the environment in the forefront," he told the county board Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Brown again addressed the county board and presented a petition with more than 300 signatures calling for the leaf ban to be lifted. It said such an "impactful change" shouldn't have passed without a majority of residents in favor.

According to the petition, the environment will be affected as people dump leaves into waterways and wooded areas to avoid paying for pickup service.

Brown and others are concerned about the potential costs and hardships for some residents. That includes county board members representing north and western Lake County who voted against it and say most of their constituents agree. The permanent rules were enacted by a 13-7 vote with all but one Democrat supporting it and all the Republicans opposing it.

"People have been doing it all their lives. They know how to handle it," Brown said. "We need to be considerate of our neighbors."

Sheriff's deputies will respond and assess reported violations of the leaf burning ordinance, said sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli. Violators generally will be given information and a warning, he added.

A citation is possible if the problem persists.

"Overall, when there is a violation, education seems to be the best way to handle the situation," Covelli said.