to think that having a bonfire is pure laziness

[chloeb8]

It seems that people around here are always having fires in their gardens. There is a tip quite close by so I just don’t understand the need! Not to mention the fact that it’s a PITA to surrounding houses. I think it’s very thoughtless and don’t know why people can’t just go to the tip to get rid of stuff (and yes the household I’m talking about have cars)

I find it interesting that people are happy to breathe in wood smoke when it has more adverse health impacts than standing behind the exhaust of a car.

There is something innate in humans to be drawn to fire, find it comforting and relaxing. In a few years though I think people will come to realise how harmful wood smoke is. Similar to how our views to cigarettes have changed over the past 40 years.

Wood and coal burning accounts for 40 per cent of harmful levels of background PM2.5. Exposure to PM2.5causes asthma, COPD, coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. There is also evidence that links PM2.5to low birth weight, diabetes and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.

We have maybe 2 or 3 bonfires a year, always after dark when we dont think people will be using their gardens

You’d rather I got into my truck, drove the 14 or so miles to the tip, then drop all the garden waste and downed tree into a large metal bin, before I drove home again, than burn it in my garden? Yeah. Ok.

@BikeRunSki

If you take garden waste to the tip, what’s its onward destination? Our local authority would incinerate anyway. Having transported it there in wagons. Arguably, a large commercial incinerator with cats etc to manage the toxicity of the output will be less polluting than localised small scale bonfires, but the there’s the impact of taking the garden waste to the tip, then from the tip to the incinerator.

Garden waste in my county is composted. I think it's all done at one site though, so the impact of transporting it will be considerable.

They then sell the compost back to you for £3 a bag.

Anyway, I don’t think of it as a bonfire, more a respectful funeral pyre for a majestic tree that lost its life. 😌

@PerspicaciousGreen

Concur they can be a bit antisocial, but they're also bloody fun!

Hurling stuff into huge containers can be fun too! With our council ou have to book a visit to the tip and you’re only allowed a.certain number of visits per year - I think it’s 12.

Depends on the reason and frequency I think 🤔

We have a monthly bonfire to coincide with the full moon if weather allows - it's a small fire 🔥 for ceremonial purposes we have rainsticks and drums so you'd probably hate us lol

I'm not a fan of banning things to be honest - maybe they don't want to get cars messy or get cut up by thorns etc. You also need to book a slot in the tip as well - what if they work all day etc

@Woodpecker22

I find it interesting that people are happy to breathe in wood smoke when it has more adverse health impacts than standing behind the exhaust of a car.

There is something innate in humans to be drawn to fire, find it comforting and relaxing. In a few years though I think people will come to realise how harmful wood smoke is. Similar to how our views to cigarettes have changed over the past 40 years.

Wood and coal burning accounts for 40 per cent of harmful levels of background PM2.5. Exposure to PM2.5causes asthma, COPD, coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. There is also evidence that links PM2.5to low birth weight, diabetes and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.

THIS. Needs to be publicised more I think as it's not something many are aware of unfortunately. Should be part of local clean air policies.

There's a lot of magical thinking here that taking garden waste to tip means it's somehow disposed of in environmentally superior way; that isn't necessarily true. Out of sight = Out of mind != Better.

People routinely leave engines running with nobody in the car while they nip into the shops around here. The nipping-into might last 5+ minutes. Yes, I find few people dislike car exhaust exposure in my area, since someone asked.

@ragged

There's a lot of magical thinking here that taking garden waste to tip means it's somehow disposed of in environmentally superior way; that isn't necessarily true. Out of sight = Out of mind != Better.

Here is an overview of how councils' dispose of garden waste www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/how-is-it-recycled/garden-waste

We had a huge garden growing up and no garden waste collection, so my dad would occasionally light a bonfire. However he would always check the wind direction so that the smoke wouldn’t blow over neighbours’ gardens. Our neighbour didn’t and we were always having to get the washing in and wash it again.

@ragged

People routinely leave engines running with nobody in the car while they nip into the shops around here. The nipping-into might last 5+ minutes. Yes, I find few people dislike car exhaust exposure in my area, since someone asked.

This is actually illegal.

Loads of my neighbours have regular bonfires. My house stinks of it. It isnt so bad when it's wood or paper but when they are burning plastic toys and painted furniture it really stinks.
Plus one neighbour puts the bonfires close to the fences so they are scorched now.
It's so antisocial

People having fires in their gardens is the worst. It's always on a warm and sunny day so you have to shut all your windows and you can't use your own garden. It's so antisocial.

Twinkle in that case mp

We have kept loads ofdocuments. They have been kept a lot longer than we should just incase (I'm very distrustful). If I stood there and shredded my shredder would combust and for safety (ID fraud etc) I’m not going to bin them. So I guess a bonfire would be the next step, does that make me lazy?

Arf, don't want to get their cars messy 😂😂 the poor didums...

Let's choke all our neighbours and ruin their day and make them change their behaviour... SO OUR car stays clean

As far as I am concerned garden bonfires should be banned unless you live in a rural area.

At best they are anti-social, at worst they could set fire to something (in fact in a rural area they could set off a bush-type fire I suppose).

There is no excuse for having bonfires. Compost your rubbish or take it to the tip or invest in a garden waste collection.

@eeyore228

We have kept loads ofdocuments. They have been kept a lot longer than we should just incase (I'm very distrustful). If I stood there and shredded my shredder would combust and for safety (ID fraud etc) I’m not going to bin them. So I guess a bonfire would be the next step, does that make me lazy?

My mum does this too. We've had words about it. Yes you should shred them. However her argument is that it's only a couple of minutes. I guess it's not as bad as a full-blown bonfire.

We've had lots of issues with burning, not odd very light burning of leaves which whilst selfish is not as bad as longer proper burning piles

I've always managed to get our council to act.

We have neighbours close by who have bonfires daily. And they can be from midday onwards whatever the burned recently went up with a huge plume of thick black smoke. We had to bring kids in. It was so bad. We looked from upstairs windows and they were trying to extinguish it fast.
They have a neighbour too that loves a bonfire projb 3 a week. The other morning 2am I woke with ds. And could hear a popping /slap noise loud. Like when you slap trainers against a wall to get mudd off.
Went to make a bottle And could see a glow start. The other neighbour lit a fire 2am! It certainly wasn't going at 1am when we went to bed.

@poppycat10

As far as I am concerned garden bonfires should be banned unless you live in a rural area.

At best they are anti-social, at worst they could set fire to something (in fact in a rural area they could set off a bush-type fire I suppose).

There is no excuse for having bonfires. Compost your rubbish or take it to the tip or invest in a garden waste collection.

Um we have a really large garden, a few times a year we habe massive branches etc to get rid of. We burn them. I can assure you from the volume it would be really expensive to get it collected, won’t fit in a car and can’t be composted. The average pile is approx twenty food wide And about 8 foot high.

Super selfish. Our NDN’s like burning fucking plastic [anger].

Apparently about three people need to complain for action to be taken
No one is allowed to burn plastics.