What do Marion County People do With Ashes? (North Beach: live, cost)

[A Little Hoarse]

I've been burning trees ever since Irma. What do people do with the huge piles of ashes they end up with? I guess I can shovel it into bags and take it to the dump.

[dontaskwhy]

I have lived in the area for almost 37 years and never bagged ashes like you mention. They are biodegradable and that is good enough for me.

[North Beach Person]

Do you have a garden? Add them to the soil.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Do you have a garden? Add them to the soil.

I was thinking the same thing. Doesn't even have to be a garden, the lawn will do. Let nature do the rest. The soil will thank you.

[beatkay]

Ash contains vital nutrients that many gardeners would love to have for their soil. Contact a local gardening group or a community garden and see if some of them want them. I'd guess you could just shovel it into some totes and carry it away.

It's part of the bio-chain; don't bag it and toss it, use it like nature intended!

[dontaskwhy]

Originally Posted by FloridaGIRL90

I wouldn't burn anything! That is crazy! And have that smell in your yard for a long time?

There are some ares (in the city limits or housing developments) that debris cannot be burned, but there is no smell after the fact and has gone on before recorded time. This is part of the natural environmental cycle. Nothing crazy here.

[KatesKat]

We spread them out over the lawn and flower beds. No odor. No cost. Free potash for the plants.

[A Little Hoarse]

I appreciate the responses.

I have an immense amount of ashes. I live on 34 acres. The suggestion that I stop burning is not in line with reality. Nobody wants my worthless live oak trunks and branches, and having them hauled away would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

I can't put them on plants for a couple of reasons. First, they kill everything except weeds. They're very alkaline. Second, using them on plants would use up less than 1 percent of my ashes.

[dontaskwhy]

You could bury the debris and cover it over and let nature take care of the rest. It would cost $$ to bring in the required equipment.

[TOMD]

I’ve got 5 acres and burned some of my trees that fell after Irma but the county also allowed us to put them on the roadside for pickup. That’s what I did as well as my neighbors. It’s all been hauled away for free.