S-861 would permit municipalities to conduct an annual event for the open burning of holiday trees. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) would be tasked with establishing rules, regulations, and standards for the open burning of Christmas trees by municipalities.
The League supports the adoption of this permissive legislation that would remove the obstacle of municipalities’ inability to burn Christmas trees because of strict NJDEP air quality regulations that identify Christmas trees as “rubbish,” which cannot be burned. A sample resolution is available for your municipality to adopt in support of S-861.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.