What’s the point in bonfires?!

[PonkyPonky]

I’m interested to know your reasons if you’re a regular bonfire haver. I don’t mean if you live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and it affects no one. But if you live in a built up area with lots of surrounding houses, why do you think it’s a good idea to have bonfires in summer when everyone has their windows open and washing on the line? I’ve come home to a house that stinks of smoke and a whole load of washing that’s going to have to be re-washed. It’s a neighbour over the road and the smoke is still billowing out from their garden.
There are other options for garden waste, the tip or starting a compost heap or your green bin if you care to pay for it. I have never, in all my years of being an adult, felt the need for a bonfire. Why does anyone need to? It’s polluting. It’s selfish. People have breathing difficulties such as asthma, COPD etc etc.
AIBU to think they should just be banned?

England is really not going to ban bonfires #GuyFawkes

They happen in the summer because that is when the material is dry enough to burn.

They’re completely antisocial in a built up area. My NDN starts them and then goes to bed. They are stinky and gross. Should be banned.

It would be easy enough to ban them for the rest of the year and still allow them on bonfire night. That’s not really a valid argument for people lighting them all year round

Not everyone had a car to get to the tip, or pay for the bin. But as long as councils charge to collect stuff, people will burn or fly tip.

DIY compost heap = free and doesn’t piss anyone off

DH loves a bonfire- I don't! IF we have one, we wait till a very still night, I text all the neighbours beforehand, light it after dark and sit there was a hose at the ready till its died down. We have a fairly large garden, but I do think its antisocial and I'm surprised it isn't banned.

I have bonfires throughout the autumn, burning prunings.

I have half an acre of trees and shrubs and they all need pruning back to maintain them. I have a compost heap for deciduous leaf litter, but the quantity of prunings is too great for a green bin which I also have.

I keep anything that is the thickness of my wrist or more to dry and then put in the log burner. That powers the log burner each winter. It's quite efficient.

Bonfires are for all the twigs, evergreens and invasive weeds like nettles. I'm always careful to check if neighbours have washing out first.

A neighbour some years ago was always either building a bonfire or actually burning one. Pretty sure he was a pyromaniac. He once asked another (lovely) neighbour for anything he could put on a bonfire. Lovely neighbour said she’d only got some telephone directories, which wouldn’t burn. Apparently he looked her in the eye and said ‘everything burns’. He was a strange lad.

I fit in your “rural middle of nowhere group” and I do it because our garden is huge, it’s the best way to get rid of the waste, and garden waste bins don’t exist round here. I compost what’s appropriate and chop larger wood for the stove. No brown bins though and the tip is miles away. The neighbours sometimes come and toast marshmallows with us which is nice.

Bonfires are awesome and pretty. crack open a beer and enjoy.

Incidentally, thanks to council cuts, our local tip is a 34 mile round trip, and I have to book a slot in advance.

So not really a practical option for regular disposal.

We have 5 acres. The council doesn't allow more than 1 garden waste bin. We compost mown grass but burn all the hedge cuttings etc.

We time them according to wind direction to stop it bothering our neighbours but occasionally, the wind changes once its already lit.

I think that's perfectly fine.

It's the people who have 0.0005 acres and set a fire right next to the neighbours fence and washing and windows, that's antisocial.

What about fire pits? We lit ours the other evening as it was getting chilly, and I did worry about neighbours open windows etc. We try and burn the 'smokeless' logs but they don't always seem smokeless to me.

I love bonfires. Love the smell, they are great fun and an easy way to dispose of garden rubbish.

This.

This! I love a bonfire but have never made one of my own as I'm too scared 😅 but I love being invited to bonfires or walking down the street and smelling them!

I agree they're really antisocial in built-up areas.

Separately a lot of hedgehogs are harmed or killed by them. It's possible to reduce those risks though and if anyone cares there's information on how to do this on various wildlife and hedgehog charity websites

There's some info here

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-check-your-bonfire-hedgehogs

Not in the middle of the day when your hanging your washing out or sitting in the garden they are not.

If you're going to ban bonfires you also need to ban fire pits and barbecues.

Not sure that would be popular

Councils make it difficult to dispose of waste responsibly

Depends on your garden size, I had a 1/3 acre garden with lots of trees, if a tree came down in wind we would chop and store for the fire (drying takes a year) but we got way too much kindling to use plus too much for taking to the tip. We had an annual bonfire, usually during Glastonbury one evening and listening to music. Once a year after 5pm is less antisocial than BBQ's frequently!

Love a bonfire.
Shame people are so against them.
I like the smell of woodsmoke. I don't care if my neighbour has one while my washing is out.
I don't own the fucking world.

But you don’t burn stuff that goes onto a compost heap ie fruit and veg peelings do you ?

Tell you what I don't like though...disposable barbeques scorching and littering the countryside just so people can have a bloody burger at the beautiful, natural place.
Ban them first. They're much worse.