Whether it is called trash, garbage, solid waste or refuse, it is smelly and unsightly, attracts insects, rodents and wildlife, may be poisonous, flammable or explosive and contributes to the spread of disease.
Because of the threat to public health, its disposal is strictly regulated by law, and it represents a continual challenge to city and county governments.
Gone are the days of having a burn barrel, dumping everything that didn’t burn into a pit, and then covering that pit and digging another one. That’s how my grandparents did it on their farm outside Hamilton.