Dear editor,
Further to Jennifer Haines’s Nov. 16 letter about wood smoke: (With the change of seasons comes increased wood smoke in residential areas) people tell me they burn outside because it’s free. How free is it, when it can cause long-term health problems (for example increased risk of heart attack, worsening of respiratory problems) as it releases toxic substances into the air?
Maybe if we had a green waste transfer facility where people could leave their garden waste at no charge, similar to the Gibsons model, fewer people would feel the need to burn in their backyard, “because it’s free.”
Loraleigh Fitzgerald
Comox