Garden Rubbish – What to do with it?
- Garden Rubbish can we as householders burn it?
- Are you in a Smoke Control area?
- Do you know what a Smoke Control Area is?
- How do you find if you are in a Smoke Control Area?
- What does it mean?
- What is Garden Rubbish
Mansfield District Council don’t actually say if you can or can’t with regard to Domestic and Garden Bonfires. What they do say is that it can be a hindrance, nuisance and can spoil the enjoyment of others. They do say though that there is no permitted time for having bonfires.
They advise against burning garden rubbish and legal action can be taken in Magistrates Court if a smoke nuisance is caused. They also say that Mansfield District Council Cleansing Section can be contacted to arrange for garden waste to be removed.
The whole of Mansfield District is a Smoke Control Area. What does this mean – it means simplistically that it is against the law for any smoke to be emitted from the chimney of a building (including greenhouses and sheds).
That asside it may be brought into question what is classed as Garden Rubbish?
I was reading back through an old Mansfield Chad report and the difficulties a gentleman had on disposing of his garden waste at a Council recycling centre. One of the points raised was about the quantity of garden waste and the chad reported
“We advise residents who are carrying out home or garden renovations which are likely to produce a lot of waste to hire a skip or dispose of the waste at trade waste sites that are located around the county where they can use vans and trailers –– under current legislation, waste created by home and garden improvements is classed as trade not household waste”
The defra website known as the Department for Environment Food and Rural Areas says
“Local Authorities are responsible for designation and supervision of Smoke Control Areas. Smoke control areas have been introduced in many large towns and cities in the UK (including virtually all of London) and in large parts of the Midlands, North West, South Yorkshire, North East of England, Central and Southern Scotland. Please note that it is not possible for Defra to provide information relating to whether a property is located inside a smoke control area.
To be certain if you are or are not located in a smoke control area it is recommended that you contact the Environmental Health or Protection department of your Local Authority. Contact details for your Local Authority can be found here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm“
Find the contact details and website for your local council via local direct gov website
http://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/locations.php
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