Press Release: Management Advisory: Non DoD Solid Waste Burning At or Near DoD Occupied Sites (Report No. DODIG‑2024‑107)

Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released "Management Advisory: Non-DoD Solid Waste Burning At or Near DoD-Occupied Sites," to bring immediate attention and resolution to a health and safety issue that could impact DoD personnel.

This management advisory highlights the absence of a policy that explicitly requires operational commanders to identify and report burn pits that dispose of waste not generated by the DoD. Without such a policy, the accuracy of exposure data in Service members' permanent health records may be impacted.

"This policy gap in identifying and reporting non-DoD-controlled burn pits can result in missing information on the DoD's watch list of known burn pits," said IG Storch. "When this information goes unreported, the long-term health of Service members exposed to deadly toxins from burn pits could be put at risk."

To address the policy omission, the DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment revise DoD Instruction 4715.19, "Use of Open-Air Burn Pits in Contingency Operations." The DoD OIG also recommended the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment revise the memorandum, "Interim Policy on Solid Waste Disposal Outside the United States." Specifically, the policy should require operational commanders to report to the appropriate combatant commander all open-air burn pits within 4,000 meters from U.S. personnel living, dining, or work areas, including non-DoD-controlled burn pits disposing of non-DoD-generated waste.