[Homestead] woodstove/newsprint

EarthNSky erthnsky at bellsouth.net
Fri Nov 16 10:39:14 EST 2007


We don't subscribe to a paper, but we do get the 4 page weekly local 
free circular along with the assorted fast food coupons.  I separate my 
trash basically into burnable trash and disposable trash.  Once a week 
or so, Ron takes the bag of disposables to work to the dumpster, and the 
rest we burn or recycle on the homestead.  A few years back, we made a 
burn unit to avoid using burn barrels.  It is like a BBQ pit, about 4x4, 
made of cinderblocks, with a cinderblock smoke stack that is about 7 
feet tall.  It is open at the bottom front-about 6" to provide air.There 
is a grate in the bottom, a baffle over the flue, and multiple layers of 
  wire screening in the flue to break up ashes as they tend to fly away. 
  We did this to eliminate the worry of accidentally starting a fire in 
the woods, and to allow us to burn trash even when it is too windy or 
raining.  It has worked great for us.  I burn boxes, paper, junk mail, 
personal papers, etc.  About twice a year, I shovel out the ashes 
through the hole in the bottom and place them over PVC water lines or in 
holes in the yard.  I use fireplace ashes in the compost bin or in my 
raised beds.  I have also used ashes to fill holes and cover water lines 
that were shallow.  The chickens love dusting in them.

Bev

eureka at hctc.net wrote:
> I prefer reading my news online, but my husband can't live 
> without the real thing. Our neighbors (yes, the ones that 
> obliterated most of their trees) give us their paper when 
> they are done with it, and after we are finished and a 
> sufficient stack has collected, I take them to a local 
> business that uses them as packing material.
> 
> We do, however, burn our junk mail, cereal boxes, etc. 
> with color inks as kindling in our fireplace, as we don't 
> want to compost them, they aren't accepted as recyclables 
> in our area, and we have to haul our own trash and pay per 
> bag. Since we don't get too cold down here (first freeze 
> was last night!), sometimes this and a few small logs are 
> enough for us. So far, I have used the ash on the lawn but 
> not the garden.
> 
> --Sage
> Way Out in Texas
> 
> 
> On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:18:13 -0600
>   Gene GeRue <genegerue at ruralize.com> wrote:
>> On Nov 12, 2007, at 5:19 PM, tom wrote:
>>
>>> I know the conventional wisdom for a long time has been 
>>> to never use
>>> newsprint with color ink to start a fire.  Has this 
>>> changed with many
>>> newspapers starting to use soy-based ink for their color 
>>> printing?
>>> Its getting harder to find black-only pages in my local 
>>> paper!
>> I never heard that one. I suppose the ashes from such 
>> fires might  
>> best be not used in one's food-growing areas.
>>
>> I always liked the colors put out by the various 
>> chemicals in colored  
>> ink.
>>
>> Learn to start fires without paper.
>>
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> 
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-- 
Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the 
ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.





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