Bonfire Guidelines
Do you need to burn?
Only burn dry material.
Never burn household rubbish, treated or painted
wood, plastics, rubber tyres, any other synthetic
materials e.g. foam or polystyrene. This will minimise
the amount of smoke and fumes produced.
Avoid lighting a bonfire in unsuitable weather
conditions, smoke will hang in the air on damp, still
days. If too windy, smoke might travel through your
neighbours open windows, into their gardens and
across roads.
Never use petrol, oil or methylated spirits to light
a bonfire, you could injure yourself as well as the
environment.
If you do have a bonfire to dispose of garden waste,
or on Bonfire Night, please inform your neighbours,
they are much less likely to complain.
Never leave a bonfire unattended or leave it to
smoulder, especially at night. Put it out with water
or soil.
Keep your bonfire away from trees, fences and
buildings.
Avoid burning when air pollution levels in your
area are high or very high. You can check air
quality by telephoning 0800 556677 or at
www.airquality.co.uk
It is hoped that use of these guidelines can help sustain a
pleasant environment for all residents of the East Riding
of Yorkshire. Regular disregard of the advice provided
may increase the likelihood of complaints and possible
enforcement action.
If you require any further information about the contents
of this leaflet, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Environmental Control
Advice on
Garden Bonfires
[email protected]
(01482) 396301
County Hall
Cross Street, Beverley
HU17 9BA
Town Hall
Bridlington
YO16 4LP
Council Offices
Church Street, Goole
DN14 5BG
For general self-help advice, please visit our website:
Public Protection Division
Environmental Protection Act 1990
www.eastriding.gov.uk/pollution
Clean Air Act 1993
What’s Wrong with Bonfires?
What’s the Alternative?
Bonfires and the Law
Air Pollution
Recycling
When and Where can I have a Bonfire?
Burning garden waste produces smoke, especially if the
waste is green and damp. This will emit harmful pollutants
including particles and dioxins. Burning plastics, rubber
or painted materials creates noxious fumes that give off
a range of poisonous compounds.
Household waste should certainly not be burnt, it is an
offence. Many items can be reused or recycled at one of
the council’s many recycling facilities. The council provides
bins for you to separate your waste through the various
coloured wheelie bins and you can also take waste to a
civic amenity site. Burning old furniture can cause particular
hazards as some materials can release toxic fumes when
burned. If furniture is in reasonable condition, there are
many charity shops and other charitable organisations
that collect and re-use unwanted items. The council also
has a bulky items collection service that is available if you
are unable to dispose of the larger waste items yourself.
Please note, this is not a free service but is available for
a small fee. The service can be booked at any Customer
Service Centre or by telephone: (01482) 393939.
It is a common misconception that there are specific
byelaws within the East Riding prohibiting garden
bonfires or specifying times when they can be lit – there
is not. However, this is not a licence for indiscriminate
burning! Occasionally, a bonfire is the best practicable
way to dispose of diseased wood that cannot be
composted.
Health Effects
Air pollution can have a damaging effect and people
with existing health problems are especially vulnerable,
e.g. asthmatics, bronchitis sufferers, people with heart
conditions, children and the elderly.
Annoyance
Smoke, smuts, ash and smells from bonfires have long
been a source of a significant number of complaints to
local authorities every year.
Smoke prevents neighbours from enjoying their
gardens, opening windows or hanging washing out and
reduces visibility in the neighbourhood and on roads.
Allotments near homes can cause problems if plot
holders persistently burn green waste, and leave fires
smouldering.
Safety
Fires can spread to fences or buildings and scorch trees
and plants. Exploding bottles and cans are a hazard when
rubbish is burned. Piles of garden waste are often used
as a refuge for some animals so look out for hibernating
wildlife and sleeping pets.
Under section 161A of the Highways Act 1980, anyone
lighting a bonfire and allowing the smoke to drift across
a road faces a fine if it endangers traffic or causes injury.
Contact the police if this is the case.
N.B Householders have a Duty of Care to ensure any
waste taken from their properties is disposed of by a
licensed waste carrier. You are responsible for your
waste. If in doubt check with the Environment Agency
telephone: 08708 505 506.
Composting
Rather than burning garden waste or putting food waste
in the green wheelie bin where it will end up incinerated
or going to landfill, a compost bin will produce useful
soil conditioner, saving money on buying commercial
products. Woody waste can be shredded to make it
suitable for composting or mulching. You can hire or buy
shredders. Some allotment societies may have their own.
If using a shredder be considerate to neighbours, they can
be noisy – please do not swap one potential nuisance for
another.
Advice on composting is available from any Customer
Service Centre tel: (01482) 393939 or the council’s
composting website www.eastriding.getcomposting.com
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as
amended) it is an offence for people to dispose of their
domestic waste in a way likely to cause pollution of the
environment or harm to human health. In practice you
should not burn waste that is likely to create excessive
smoke or noxious fumes. If only dry garden waste is
burnt, your bonfire should not cause a problem to your
neighbours.
Most bonfire problems can be investigated under
nuisance legislation. Under the Environmental
Protection Act 1990, a statutory nuisance includes
“smoke, fumes or gases emitted from premises so as to
be prejudicial to health or a nuisance”. In practice, for
a bonfire to be a statutory nuisance, smoke and smell
from bonfires would have to be a recurrent persistent
problem, interfering substantially with the comfort or
enjoyment of neighbouring properties.
If a bonfire of industrial or commercial waste is emitting
black smoke it is dealt with under the Clean Air Act
1993. This includes the burning of such material in
your garden! Under section 34 of the Environmental
Protection Act 1990 it is illegal to dispose of waste that
is not from your property e.g. from your work place or
from a neighbour. For example, tradesmen must not
burn waste from their place of work, at home.