Don't burn it. The smoke goes somewhere.
Don't set fire to household waste or dry leaves. Burning plastic and trash sends toxic smoke straight into the air you and your neighbours breathe.
The pile disappears in an hour. The smoke just moves into a lung near you.
Here's the science
- What happensBurning household waste and leaves in the open
- HowOpen burning of solid waste releases toxic smoke and particulate pollution into the shared air; the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 prohibit a waste generator from burning waste in the open
- SoToxic smoke and worsened local air pollution
How it works - the size isn't measured hereIN
“No waste generator shall throw, burn or burry the solid waste generated by him, on streets, open public spaces outside his premises or in the drain or water bodies.”
The quoted rule states the legal prohibition (the word 'burry' appears exactly as spelt in the official gazette). It does not quantify the health impact, so no number is claimed.
Source: The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended to date) - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India(checked 2026-07-18)
And when we do it
Waste that's sorted and handed to the collector instead of burned keeps the evening air breathable for the whole lane.
You couldn't have known. Now you do.