NORWICH – The Chenango County Public Works Department would like to remind residents that a new state law prohibiting open burning will go into effect next Wednesday.

“It is designed to stop open garbage burning and carries a very large ticket for the offense,” said Waste Management Director Pat Pittsley. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation personnel will follow-up calls on alleged offenders, she said

The county’s DPW plans to disseminate advertising in order to communicate the new regulations to citizens, but must wait for county supervisors to approve the expenditure, which won’t be until after the law takes effect.

The New York State Department of Environmental law is intended to reduce harmful pollutants and the risk of wildfires. The open burning of residential waste will be prohibited in all communities statewide, regardless of population, with exceptions for burning tree limbs and branches at limited times and other certain circumstances. Previously, the ban applied only in towns with populations of 20,000 or more.