we do not favor the ban. we wish we could burn leaves, it's a fall family tradition that we would love to be able to start up again...

Kind of tough to have windows open when people are burning leaves. Most towns have free leaf pickup.

As the husband of an asthma sufferer, I favor the ban. Every fall when we pass somewhere leave are burning, my wife starts coughing and she just can't stand it

How about donating the leaves to a farmer to composting? I don't know if that's possible, but it seems like it would help!?

No ban on burning leaves! The same Libs that want to ban burning leaves want to also ban fire pits and even fire places.

Leaf burning emits toxic fumes that are hazardous to health. People with respiratory conditions such as asthma are especially vulnerable. There are already enough toxic chemicals in the air we breathe, and while I do enjoy the smell of burning leaves I see no reason to add to our already polluted air. http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/burn/leafburn2.html

Leaves make excellent mulch. None of them from our yard make it into yard waste bags. They all stay here. My husband uses a mulching mower which breaks the leaves down into fine particles that decompose rapidly and are very good for the soil. When the leaves are really thick, he bags them, and I spread them in our garden beds. Our soil is beautiful, rich, crumbly, and absorbs and holds water very well. I pile the leaves up very thickly over our veggie beds, let them fall as they will on our ornamental beds. By spring, most of them have already decomposed. I even bag some and leave the bags in a hidden area behind some evergreen shrubs, then use them in the veggie beds later in the spring when the ones I put down in fall have decomposed. This helps save water, I don't have buy mulch, it's good for the soil, and we don't spend money on yard waste bags and stickers.

We have a LOT of leaves. Before we got married my husband used to bag the leaves - more than 60 bags, and 60 stickers. I'd rather keep that money in our pockets, and save ourselves the trouble of hauling all those bags of good compost to the curb.

No Ban!! I respect the people who have asthma, but I cannot believe banning leaf burning will improve ones health. And to Larry, I do not believe leaves are burned all year long & the weather is turning cooler, so if you can't open your window(s) for a period of time, I'm sorry..If you had to rake all the leaves that I do because the village of Hometown doesn't care what their town looks like, you might favor leaf burning!!!

I voted no to burning leaves in residential areas. The homes in most Southland communities are too close together and most have fences so burning leaves is a very real fire hazard. The smoke goes right into your neighbors living and breathing space, so it is also a health hazard. The overall environment is effected too but not to as great an extent as other sources of pollution that we are trying to get under control. Communities should have a secluded collection and burn area where the burning of leaves can be safely controled by a public works and/or a fire department member. Fire pits can be very dangerous and unhealthy for residents and neighbors. As a firefighter I have seen them cause many unwanted fires and the smoke may cause breathing problems. Most people don't realize that a fire pit is only for burning natural dry wood (logs) for recreational use and nothing else.

My father has COPD. Our neighbors were burning leaves when he came to visit and ended up in the hospital. A ban on burning leaves in residential areas helps those with breathing and lung difficulties.

To Nolan & Kara, I repect both your points of view, however, I believe there are far worse things polluting our air & environment than one burning leaves.

Shut down coal plants, ban trucks and cars and it will improve asthma problems.

Obama just issued an Executive Order requiring that all leaves MUST be burned. Those that desire to NOT burn can pay a tax and bag, mulch, or compost.

I remember driving through some SW burbs with smoke so thick you couldn't see more than a foot or two in front of you. Do not miss that at all. I know someone who had to call the fire department because his brain dead neighbors started a leaf fire on a windy day and never checked it. Sure enough, they idiots started his backyard on fire and never even apologized for the damage.

I currently have six Village recycle bins full of leaves that I am about to use around the yard. I'll need plenty more after that. There is so much better use than burning them!

I read it wrong so there should be one less for the ban and one more for burning. I yearn for the smells of fall and the days when cigerettes and booze were advertised on TV. What a good life people enjoyed themselves. The cowboy looking out over the great plains thinking life is good or at a party with friends having a drink. Now the days are for drugs for depression or ED or recent backstabbing your political foe in the back. I know smoking and drinking to excess are not good for you, but the ads were at least about enjoying yourself not about getting depressed because your peeing on yourself. So burn some leaves with your friends and have a Hamms from Sky Blue waters!

I just read someones comment. Is there a reason they could be tilled into farmers fields? If the village were to sweep them up and dump them at a farmer field. Make sense to me, any farmers know why we don't do that?

As of a few years ago it was legal to burn leaves in Chicago as long certain rules were followed (vented container, dry leaves only, small piles, don't ad leaves, once burning). Has this ordinance been changed? What about fire pits? Fireplaces? Wood burning stoves? 10 lbs of burning leaves, or a 10 lb log, isn't the footprint the same?

What makes more pollution burning leaves or trucks picking up an hauling the leaves an then dumping in land fills that have more trucks moving the unwanted easy around an filling space in ever crowded landfills

Why add to air pollution and climate change. Ban leave burning and back yard firepits. I hate it when my neighbor burns the cheapest wood he can find in his pit. It stinks up my whole house.

My leaves have been at the curb since Wednesday; where is the New Lenox truck? Did it break down?

This is a no brainer. The harm it causes to a (not so) few VASTLY exceeds the benefits to those who would like to do this. Burning leaves is a textbook example of a why Mills developed the Harm Principle.

i watched my neighbor put his leaves on the curb. it stayed there till the plows came to remove the snow. i like the smell of leaves burning,but it should be done respectfully. when it is calm outside. I mulch when i can. plan on bulding a compost.

The smoke from burning leaves many with respiratory problems gasping for air, and that smell permeates the house also. It is so easy to run the lawn mower over the leaves, bag them up and use them for mulch in the garden or bare spots on the lawn.

Hate the smell of burning leaves. they make me choke. Keep the ban. Dont see how polluting the air and other peoples homes is a family tradition. Unless you are way away from other homes.like 5 miles away..

I love fall and I hate it. I love the colors and the the way it smells, but it means winter is on the way. Fondest memories are when I was a kid and we had the fall feeling and burning leaves were a part of it. All the prudes can lock themselves in thier houses for a while, I'm going outside.

Michael Nar: I want to burn my leaves, oppose any ban, but I'm also super-liberal. So, I don't think lib/conserv has anything to do with leaf burning. I bet Obama would allow leaf burning.

My God!! I can't believe some of you are so whiney. Suck it up people. Not that big of a deal.

BAN THE BURNING LEAVE. My brother & his family's garage & sheds burned down last year be4 Thanksgiving.. Everything' s Gone (Xmas decortions,bikes,toys ,
all gone/ insurance doesn't cover everything- family sad)

burning leaves really isn't a good idea these days as so many people live much closer together and have respitory conditions. people once used to burn their own garbage. that wasn't a good idea either.

A ban on leaf burning? Of Course! That's a NO-BRAINER!

When it effects kids on a soccer team when they are trying to play, that tells me something. It was horrible to other day at Spencer Fields. Even the parenta were complaining. DOESN'T THAT MEAN ANYTHING PEOPLE?! Being an asthma sufferer it is HORRIBLE!

Smoking up an entire neighborhood by burning leaves because some of you think it is easier than bagging them! One good excuse for laziness, in my opinion. The stench is awful and why should anyone else have to put up with smoke from a neighbor... any smoke!
Ban the leaf burning!

Linda T is correct. We mulch our leaves, have a compost pile and our lawn looks great. I don't have asthma, but know enough people who do and would never want to endanger their health.

I do not favor a ban, because another government law that's impossible to inforce is not reasonable, however, it is better to compost. When you bag your leaves and have someone pick them up is like "throwing away your soil".

If you mulch them with your lawnmower, problem solved. Too many people feel the need to bag their grass clippings and send them off to be composted by others. We all have to have our automobiles tested for emissions, and air quality suffers in the fall with leaf burning. As for pickup in New lenox, they start at the North end of town weather permitting and work their way South. I believe that they have at least 2 machines that pick up. Also, the yard waste disposal does not go on forever. I do believe it runs until the end of Novemebr. Yard waste does not go into a garbage landfill. To the person in Hometown. You are thinking of just one person burning leaves. Mulitply that by the number of homes burning at one time! If inhaling that kind of smoke is so good for you, why are Fire fighters hospitalized for smoke inhalation. This is not a Liberal or Conservative view.

i have copd and i love the smell for one month out of the year,at least i can see and smell it,but i can't see and smell hydro-carbons and toxic metals in the air all year round.GET OVER IT

Absolutely, it is a NO to burning leaves.
Silly idea to make other people sick

RBB those sure were the good old days:) I love the smell Of burning leaves in autumn. It can be done respectfully and not in excess. There is poison and danger everywhere, toughen up people! They are just leaves. Enjoy the season.

I am in favor of a ban. I have a 7 yr old daughter who was born premature. She STILL has lung issues and ends up in respiratory distress and in the hospital. She can not play outside when leaves are burning. Its not fair for a child to get so sick, need IV's and oxygen, and not be allowed to play. My son and I also have asthma and it makes us choke and need our breathing medication. Its not right to impose on other peoples health just to burn leaves.

I am in favor of banning the burning of leaves. The stink from wet leaves smoldering and seeping into my house is sickening. I do not even have to open my windows to smell the overpowering stink. There is nothing but mold, animal waste and toxins being put into our air. If I walk outside to get the mail, my clothes absorb the smoke filled air - disgusting!

Ban!! It pollutes the air & it just plain STINKS!! I like to crack open a window just to let a little fresh air in during the winter & I don't want our house smelling like smoke. It gives my husband & I a headache! Some people are just too damn lazy to put their leaves, etc. in their waste container, & choose to burn them. Even if you walk outside, your clothes, hair, etc. pick up the smell. Plus, there is other toxins in these leaves that we have to breathe in. If someone likes the smell of burning leaves so much, roll one up & smoke it!!

I don't support the ban on leaf burning. Autumn is my favorite season, and there;is just something so nostalgic that's triggered in me when I smell burning leaves. What's next? Are we going to ban charcoal burning grills in the summer?

I grew up when the law allowed leaves to be burned. I love that smell in the air and I suffer from adult asthma (I'm a non-smoker with overall bad respiratory issues), but I still love that smell; it's never bothered me. When I was a kid, my sister and I used to rake leaves into a huge pile and then dive right in (which meant we ended up raking the leaves twice)! I love Autumn, the smell of burning leaves, apples baking in the oven...just great memories. And perhaps if allowed again, the individual towns and communities could select 1 day a week for a few week time span only to burn in the Autumn. That way, those with breathing/allergy issues can plan around it and it would be for a very short, specific time. I don't ever recall young people of my generation having as many health problems as today's youth (I'm in my late 50's). Perhaps we've been too cautious with everything? Rake up a pile of leaves and burn 'em; Roast some marshmellows or make S'Mores; enjoy the Fall and have a blast!

"those with breathing/allergy issues can plan around it"

Why should I have to 'plan my day around' YOUR nefarious hobby?
That's like saying 'plan for my cutting in line in front of you' at the movie line. Or 'plan for my drunk driving on the freeway -- get out of the way!'

A simple call to the Village of New lenox to ask what the schedule is for picking up in your area would aleviate your concerns

There is free leaf pick-up. My son has terrible allergies and asthma and those burning leaves makes it absolutely terrible for him. I can already attribute two sick days from school due to this...too much pollution, hard for all to breathe. I would like to see a ban.

I wish Oak Lawn would have FREE leaf pickup. I think many a moon ago they use to pick up our leaves from the street, but even the street sweepers you can't count on nowadays.. On my block on the northwest side of Oak Lawn, street sweeping comes along once ever 2 or 3 months. I wish they had signs on our street like in Cicero, IL that said what day they will do it on our side of the street. I would gladly move my vehicle ahead of time. And if someone comes on here to comment that Oak Lawn does in fact street sweep more than I had mentioned then it's probably because somebody from the village lives on your block. Nobody of any "importance" like that lives on my block.

When you could just sweep them onto the street in front of your house. No bags or cans.

Maybe those that love the smell can find a candle with the scent. It should be banned if it is hurting the health of others. After all, smoking in public was banned for health concerns.

Well, geesh, what's the odds that you might find someone who lives near you that is; elderly, has asthma, emphysema, has a baby/child with lungs that are developing or someone with heart disease anywhere near you? Perhaps you could remove wheel chair ramps because the majority of people don't need them? Braille on doors? Hand grips on public toilets for the handicapped? Perhaps eliminate special schools for those with special needs?

She also never mentioned that particulates inhaled from burning leaves can remain in your lungs for months or sometimes years and they DO contain known carcinogens

Lisa Hines, you've got to be kidding me. Most grills are gas now and give off almost no unburned pollutants. The same with cooking meat, no pollutants. You must not be a meat eater to have used such a poor example. Humans and our decendants have been eating meat over a fire for about 3 million years, it's what has made our brains bigger. We are still biologically efficient for eating meat so get with your race.

WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH!!!! Going into the plastic bubble business. From the amount of whiners on here about pollutants business should be great!

Lisa Hines. I'm sorry if I came across rude, I was actually trying to be funny, as I thought you were. I totally agree with you about free choice, everyone should have it. It is when your free choice goes against someone elses free choice that things get sticky. In this case, when someone is effecting another persons health and the planets ecosystem with a want, then that persons choice to enjoy the smell of burning leaves seems much less important.. The needs of the many definitely outweigh the needs of the few, especially when it is just a WANT. Banning the burning of leaves is the logical choice.

I'm sure everyone can agree that there are times when the smell of burning leaves isn't that troublesome. Obviously you can't regulate some idiot burning wet leaves, or someone having a fire on a windy day so that it affects 3 subdivisions. This is kind of like a discussion on banning smoking in bars. Once that ban was in place, I'm sure the majority of people here can't imagine going back to places that allowed smoking. It's a public health issue, and everyone should be respectful of their neighbors and find a better alternative to disposing of your leaves.

Darnell, all I can say is read a book every once in a while. You would be amazed if you learned how much worse the polution would be if it wasn't for the EPA and other environmental organizations. For everything you say "it happens" for is a nieve statement. All of those things happen because as a society we are uncareing, lazy and selfish and we don't have the sense to clean up out own mess. As far as my "soapbox", I would never step up on one. I was just pointing out that I have a unique perspective on this subject because of my career. I also realize why I have a job, it's because people make mistakes. Most of them, though, can be avoided by not being lazy (maintaining your home and appliances, not smoking in bed, working smoke detectors, exercising and eating healthy, paper bagging or composting your leaves; not BURNING THEM). That brings me back to another point: most of the garages and houses that were burned down from someone burning leaves were the neighbors house and/or garage. Job security because of stupid people will always be there.

Darnell, from what I see in your past comments going back to Aug. 2011 (16+ pages of comments) I think you have built and worn out more soap boxes then I could imagine. Apparently everyone is a whiner or a cry baby (wah wah use) except you. You have some well thought out and researched information to back up your opinions, but that's just it, they are your opinions. Let everyone else have their opinions, that's what these spaces are about. If you want to give people more info on a subject, fine, but don't make them feel bad for giving their opinion about a topic that is important to them. Your largest contributions are about politics, something you seem to know a great deal about. It appears as if you do not like the government officials in OF, OL, Forest Preserve District, Chicago, Cook County, IL, and the national level. Well, there are at least 3 ways to change government; contact your politicians and ask, vote, and run for office. You seem to have so much time on your hands, why don't you put it to good use and run for office, because you are being wasted here on these comment boards. Just think, you could use all your Forrest Gump quotes while speaking to the public from a huge soap box. Maybe you are too busy with the plastic bubble business you often refer to. I would be guessing, but I figured you as retired but not yet into the traveling thing. Go, take the time, travel, relax, loosen up a little, enjoy life in your old age. I'm a few years shy, but can't wait.

I'm just glad that we were only talking about burning leaves!

Larry's comment made me laugh out loud !! Good one

Hey everybody. Let's have a good Holiday Season and argue about burning leaves next fall, OK?

MERRY CHRISTMAS and don't forget the yuletide log

Growing up in Flossmoor, we ALWAYS had a ban. Suddenly, this weirdo family moves into the neighborhood and starts burning everything- leaves, sticks, grass, garbage, you name it- year 'round. My father has asthma. It makes me cough whenever I seem to visit. This family is a bunch of pyros. I'm sick of it. Flossmoor needs to keep the ban. They use an outdoor fireplace to do this, too. Then they leave it unattended. What exactly is the point, other than to pollute the neighborhood? Disgusting. Flossmoor used to be nice. Now it's filling up with irresponsible, ignorant jerks. And of course they had a Romney sign in their front yard. Probably burned that, too!