Yikes! I wouldn't - not if it's a trash-burning pile.
A trash burn pile produces ashes that aren't the same as plain old wood ashes, because trash - even if it's just paper, cardboard etc. contains a lot of chemicals that are given off in the smoke and retained in the ash.
Inks and other things that are part of the trash you are burning contain heavy metals (lead, mercury etc.). You're chickens bathe in those ashes, and absorb the heavy metals and other chemicals, and voila, they're in your eggs
.
I don't want you to think I'm "talking trash", so here are some links and info:
From the
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension :
"The character of household trash has changed dramatically in 50 years. Today's trash can contain inks, dyes, chlorine, plastics, heavy metals and a variety of synthetic materials which produce toxins as the trash burns at the low temperatures characteristic of backyard burn piles. Many of these toxins get released directly into the air, where they stay close to the ground or fall onto plants and soil, where they can affect the health of residents and neighbors, especially children. Other pollutants remain in the ash, where they can contaminate soil and groundwater. "
From the
New York Department of Environmental conservation's sheet on backyard burning :
"How Can Chemicals From Burning Trash Get Into Your Food?
* Smoke and ash can settle on fruits and vegetables.
* If ash is mixed into the garden soil, chemicals can be taken up by crops.
*
Chemicals can enter milk, eggs or meat if farm animals eat contaminated feed or soil."
More info at the
EPA's site on Backyard Trash burning , and at a site called
ThriftyFun , that says:
"Burning garbage also releases dioxins, a known carcinogen. Dioxins are produced when materials containing chlorine (like most paper and many plastics) are burned. When garbage is burned, these heavy metals and chemicals are released, unfiltered, into the air. They build up in the soil and water in our environment and make their way into our bodies through the foods we eat and the water we drink, causing serious health concerns for our children and ourselves. The EPA confirms that exposure to dioxins through food poses one of the highest cancer risks to Americans among toxic chemicals."
I found all this stuff out because I have really bad asthma, and I used to work at a vets office that had an incinerator they burn trash in, and I had horrible asthma attacks. That's when I started googling to find out what was going on. Trash burning is really bad for your lungs.
