Please don’t have bonfires that will impact your neighbours.
? Remember that this could create additional problems for people dealing with breathing difficulties.
? Bonfires come with additional risks, which could put extra pressure on our emergency services.
? Green waste smokes, if residents must burn please only burn dry garden waste.
? If residents must burn then move the pile before doing so as there may be animals such as hedgehogs sheltering.
? The creation of a habitat pile is an alternative, as is chipping.
? If bonfire smoke creates a nuisance this can be reported to South Ham District Council.
What’s smoke anyway?
The smoke you see from a garden bonfire is billions of little particles of un-burnt material. There will also be other harmful compounds released by a bonfire like this including high levels of dioxins. An open fire will typically produce 90% more particulate emissions (smoke) than a new wood burning stove. A garden bonfire, burning wet fuel, is off the scale in comparison.
The reasons are twofold; for an efficient fire you need a high temperature and you need oxygen. Wet fuel does not allow the temperature in the fire to rise because all the heat is being used to evaporate the water, and when you burn fuel in a pile on the ground air does not get mixed in properly, so the combustion is incomplete – it is an “air-starved” way of burning things. Which is why you get billowing clouds of smoke from bonfires when burning fresh garden waste.
Billowing clouds of smoke is harmful at the best of times, and the pandemic has meant that many of are more aware of how air quality can effect our health.
If I can’t burn it, what should I do with it?
- Take it to the Council recycling centre near Kingsbridge – we all collectively pay for recycling services so that, for example, we do not have to end up burning garden waste. Make use of them, they are open.
- Use your brown bin.
- Create habitat from the waste – hedgehogs and many other animals love a place of refuge so another option is to make a deliberate habitat pile in your garden and see what new life that attracts. A very tidy garden is not a rich bio-diverse habitat. Here are some pointers from the RHS. There are also some good articles in the Parish magazine from “The Untidy Gardener”.
- Use a chipper for more bulky material and then use it as a mulch or compost it.
- If a contractor is doing the work for you then they must dispose of it in the proper manner – which would mean leaving it on site either as-is or chipped, or paying to dispose of it in the proper manner – not burning it. Commercial garden waste must not be burnt.
- If you decide you must burn it then make sure it is dry – which means stacking it so that the air and sun can get to it with some type of cover to keep the rain off. Drying can take months so bear that in mind. Also bear in mind that a bonfire pile is an excellent habitat for many animals like hedgehogs so at the very least once, it’s dry, move it just before you burn it so you don’t also burn any animals inside. But do try to avoid burning it in the first place.
What if bonfires are causing a nuisance?
Talking first is often the best approach. If you notice a neighbour having one of these bonfires go and have a word with them. Or send them a letter or phone them if you have their number.
The person having these bonfires may well not be aware of the level of concern and harm they are causing, nor how many people they are effecting. This more personal approach may also have a more lasting impact than a letter from the authorities, plus these bonfires tend to be intermittent so it can tend to be hard for an officer to come out when one is actually happening, especially when Council services are under particular strain at the moment.
If you also talk with other residents about this then that can help to spread awareness and a few more people getting in touch is more powerful than just one. Remember – the person doing this may well not be fully aware of the impact they are having.
If that fails you can contact Environmental Health at South Hams District Council. They also reiterate the message that you should try talking with the person causing the nuisance first.
Here is a handy Bonfire Guide – again the Environment Agency advocate talking with the person having the bonfires first. There is also some good information in there on best practice.
