More heat means less of the bad stuff.
Burn barrels burn at low temperatures (between 300 and 500 degrees F) and have no pollution controls — so they pollute more than modern incinerators, which burn much hotter (1600-1800 degrees F)!

Why does temperature matter?
Many of the toxic compounds created by trash burning can only be made at lower temperatures. At higher temperatures, the individual ingredients of these bad chemicals are burned up before the compounds can form.

More pollution controls mean less pollution.
Why do pollution controls matter?
Once the trash is burned up by a municipal incinerator, it turns into what's called "particulate matter," little pieces of carbon or other material. If that goes straight into the air, it can cause smog or acid rain. Pollution controls strip out much of that particulate matter.

How much of a difference can 1 barrel make? A single backyard burn barrel can put out as much pollution as a municipal incinerator burning 200 tons of trash a day.

So remember, more means less, and that's why municipal incinerators are considered safe in many states, and burning trash on your own is illegal.