BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is reminding residents affected by last week's tornadoes and severe weather thatthe open burning of household debris is illegal.

According to DEQ, it is illegal to burn solid waste, household waste, construction debris, household chemicals and oil even if it is on private property. The department says that materials should be separated by type and set out curbside for proper removal by local waste management.

When burned, household debris releases toxic pollutants and can cause health problems for those who are nearby. DEQ says that waste should be disposed of at permitted landfills, municipal incinerators or other state-approved facilities.

Citizens are encouraged to watch for open burning activity and report it to local law enforcement as well as DEQ at 1-888-763-5424. citizens should also submit an incident report online at http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/apps/forms/irf/forms/

If anyone is found to be conducting an open burn, LDEQ's Criminal Investigations Section will investigate. If charged with illegally open burning household debris, violators may face a fine of up to $100,000, ten years imprisonment, or both if the action is determined to endanger or could endanger others.