Incineration vs the Environment

Just a couple minutes ago some guy called to the house with regards to hauling away the growing pile in front of our garage. We have had work done to the house over the last few months and we keep 'decluttering'. But I am environmentally friendly and if someone wants me to pay them to haul this junk away they better 1. have a permit and 2. be disposing of it in a way I feel it safe for the environment. He had no permit, so I asked him, what do you do with it? He incinerates it. Oh God. I was like is that legal? I thought we weren't allow to incinerate rubbish. He was like I just take it to a field behind my house and burn it. Whatever I may feel about controlled incineration in a CONTROLLED environment, incinerating trash in a field is the same as a giant bonfire. I am staunchly AGAINST bonfires. I don't mean a glorified campfire with wood in a permitted area, I mean the Irish style lets burn couches and rubber and plastics and inhale the fumes until we poison our children type of bonfire. (Yes I am dramatic) There is absolutely no way I am going to let this guy take away my pile to burn it uncontrolled in a field, I'd much rather have the old coffee table sit there for a while longer. The more I am thinking about it I am actually feeling sick, how many illegal operations like this are going on out there?