Editor,

Recently, I’ve had a lot of fine spring days ruined by clouds of acrid smoke. The weather was perfect and the birds singing, but I was forced to go inside for fresh air.

To help solve this problem, I ask members of our community to be responsible when disposing of branches and other yard waste. Compost if possible. If not, just wait for a cloudy day to burn.

Of course, for city dwellers, burning isn’t necessary – just leave your yard waste on the curb with your trash. But even outside city limits, you have options.

For a small fee, Mailliard’s Landing Nursery in Oak Harbor takes grass, brush, or clean branches and composts them. There’s no air pollution, and your unwanted garbage gets put to good use.

If you don’t have the resources to take your branches that far, that’s fine, go ahead and burn ‘em, but be considerate – wait for cloudy weather before starting any fires.

Don’t make your neighbors suffer through your smoke on days when they should be out enjoying the sunshine.

Also, remember to buy your three-day burn permit from Island County beforehand. Be a good citizen.

Matthew Hallahan

Oak Harbor