I wish I had a trash burning stove.

[JVS]

It doesn't seem fair that I have to throw all of these perfectly good bits of paper and plastic out when they could be keeping me warmer!

[AsahinaKimi]

1. In SF we have the Spare the Air day

he Winter Spare the Air season runs from November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010. During this period, it will be illegal to burn wood, pellets, or manufactured fire logs when a Winter Spare the Air Alert is issued.

When our morning forecast predicts that concentrations of PM2.5 will exceed the national health-based standard, the Air District will issue a Winter Spare the Air Alert. Winter Spare the Air Alerts will be posted on our Spare the Air home page and on the Air District’s www.baaqmd.gov home page.

In the wintertime, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) becomes the pollutant with the greatest impact on air quality. Fine particulates can bypass the body’s natural defenses, penetrating deeply into the lungs and even passing into the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure to the fine particulates in wood smoke has been linked with aggravated asthma, lung and heart disease, and increased mortality rates. Wood burning in fireplaces and woodstoves creates about one-third of the winter particulate matter air pollution in the Bay Area.

http://www.sparetheair.org/

[david13]

2. At any time it is illegal and a bad idea to burn trash. First, there are

many toxic chemicals that are released from the burning of trash. Plastic in particular. But more importantly, the first thing you should do is reduce the amount of trash you have. Find ways.
Second, you should recycle anything you can. Glass, plastic, paper, aluminum, metal, anything should be recycled. Use those plastic bags again.
Take a cloth bag with you to the supermarket, and skip the paper or plastic.
The earth is not a garbage can.
dc

[JVS]

3. None of that gets me more heat. I paid for that trash and I want to have it keep me warm.

they should make stoves just for safely burning trash

[EndersDame]

4. Safely burning (paper)trash would be saving energy