Incineration of paper and branches in garden! Help Please!

Lost_and_nervous

Hello to you all! Well not sure if this is the best place to post this but thought I would give it a go.

I have found a garden incinerator metal bin thing in the shed, I have loads of old paperwork which I was going to shred but think it would be better to burn - for money saving reasons! There are also some tree branches laying around which could go in there.

My dilemma is - is it ok to burn paperwork and branches in your back garden, when is the best time of day and will it make lots of smoke (I know thats a bit of a silly question!)

Thank you so much in advance for your help.

xx

celerity

My answer:

Yes, it's OK to burn stuff in your back garden, provided you don't inconvenience your neighbours.
The best time of day is when it suits your neighbours.
Yes it will make loads of smoke.

To summarise then, I'd speak to my neighbours and check they are OK with it, will keep their windows closed and not have clothes out on the line
If you live in such a built-up area that you can't practically check with all your neighbours, then I'd give up on the idea.

I have to say though, a lot of inconsiderate people would just go ahead and burn anyway, without a second thought .

Also, manage the fire, don't just leave it - you want plenty of flames as that will give out the least amount of fumes. If you let reams of paper smoulder for hours that would give out a crazy amount of smoke. And make sure pieces of flaming paper don't take flight...

/\dam

Lost_and_nervous

celerity wrote: »

My answer:

Yes, it's OK to burn stuff in your back garden, provided you don't inconvenience your neighbours.
The best time of day is when it suits your neighbours.
Yes it will make loads of smoke.

To summarise then, I'd speak to my neighbours and check they are OK with it, will keep their windows closed and not have clothes out on the line
If you live in such a built-up area that you can't practically check with all your neighbours, then I'd give up on the idea.

I have to say though, a lot of inconsiderate people would just go ahead and burn anyway, without a second thought .

/\dam

Thank you so much for you reply, luckily our garden is quiet open. I wouldnt want to be inconsiderate to my neighbours as they are all ok, except for two lots who just do as they please when they please. So I will speak to them and take it from there.

I would think though in the evening would be better? Just thinking for any of the neighbours I dont get to speak to. Thank you x

celerity

The best time of day is going to depend on your neighbours. Their homes might be empty during the day, but they're planning on having an evening BBQ for all we know .

Enjoy your bonfire!

/\dam

grandmaster00

wow yeh lets all release loads of unnecessary carbon into the atmosphere !!!

lostinrates

with your paper, remember that paper ash can go everywhere, and it won't burn well in big stacks. So, scrunching and putting at the bottom of the incinerator weighed down with some of the logs.....on a still day.

Lost_and_nervous

celerity wrote: »

The best time of day is going to depend on your neighbours. Their homes might be empty during the day, but they're planning on having an evening BBQ for all we know .

Enjoy your bonfire!

/\dam

Good thinking! Thank you

Lost_and_nervous

grandmaster00 wrote: »

wow yeh lets all release loads of unnecessary carbon into the atmosphere !!!

wow yeh lets all go and reply to peoples general questions and queries with sarcasm!

celerity

@ grandmaster00:

The tree the paper came from will have taken carbon out of the atmosphere during its lifetime - so burning wood from renewable sources is carbon-neutral (I'm not saying that applies here, just making a general point).

I agree it would be more eco-friendly to recycle it, but quite honestly, unless the OP has tonnes of the stuff it's unlikely to make any real difference. They imply the paperwork is confidential too, so shredding it would have required energy. I'm all for being eco-friendly, but you have to be realistic too.

Lost and nervous - if you feel guilty, you could always compost the ashes

/\dam

Lost_and_nervous

lostinrates wrote: »

with your paper, remember that paper ash can go everywhere, and it won't burn well in big stacks. So, scrunching and putting at the bottom of the incinerator weighed down with some of the logs.....on a still day.

Thank you for your help, thats good to know. I wouldnt have thought of that. And yes must be on a still day. x

Lost_and_nervous

celerity wrote: »

@ grandmaster00:

The tree the paper came from will have taken carbon out of the atmosphere during its lifetime - so burning wood from renewable sources is carbon-neutral (I'm not saying that applies here, just making a general point).

I agree it would be more eco-friendly to recycle it, but quite honestly, unless the OP has tonnes of the stuff it's unlikely to make any real difference. They imply the paperwork is confidential too, so shredding it would have required energy. I'm all for being eco-friendly, but you have to be realistic too.

Lost and nervous - if you feel guilty, you could always compost the ashes

/\dam

Thank you for your reply, if it wasnt confidential then I wouldnt even be bothering with this it would go straight in the recycling. I am also all for eco friendly.

Composting the ashes - that sounds good, I have some pots I may do so that go towards that. I feel happier about it. x