Garden bonfires can be a particular source of annoyance to neighbours, particularly in the summer months when people wish to use their gardens.  They also pollute the atmosphere, negating the benefit of smoke control programmes and present a risk to people’s health, especially those people who suffer from a respiratory condition.  

North Wiltshire District Council is under a legal duty to investigate complaints of smoke and odour nuisance and formal action can be taken where a statutory nuisance is caused.  The assessment of nuisance would depend upon many factors, including the amount of smoke, proximity to other residents, frequency and time of bonfires.

Is that bonfire necessary?
Householders are therefore urged to consider alternative means of disposing of their domestic waste by, for example, depositing it free-of-charge at the Council’s Civic Amenities Sites or via the Council’s bulky household collection service, for which there is a charge.  

The Council also operates a scheme for kerbside collection of garden waste. Garden waste is collected fortnightly and the Brown Wheelie Bin can be distributed to householders within the area. For further information in respect of this service, click here. 

An alternative method of disposing of material such as garden waste is to compost it to provide a useful soil enricher for your own garden.

How to prevent smoke nuisance 
If it is essential to burn material in the open air, please follow the advice below:  

all material to be burnt should be as clean and dry as possible
bonfires should be sited as far as possible away from any houses
check the wind direction to prevent smoke from being blown into your neighbours' property or onto roads
never burn plastics, oil, rubber, electrical components or other chemicals as these materials produce toxic and offensive fumes
all bonfires should be closely supervised, since they are potentially dangerous.  Do not leave a fire smouldering - put it out using soil or water

What do I do if my neighbour is regularly having bonfires and I think it is a nuisance?
If you wish to make a complaint about a neighbour's bonfire, please contact Environmental Health on 01249 706111.  You will need to provide the following information: 

the address of the property having bonfires
the times and frequency of burning
whether it is dark or white smoke
your name, address and contact telephone number

It is important that you check the address of the property carefully as the Council will write to the occupier of the property.

Composting is the environmentally friendly way of recycling garden waste. Rather than burning garden waste or putting food waste in the dustbin where it will end up buried or incinerated, a compost bin will produce a useful soil conditioner, saving money on commercial products. Woody waste can be shredded to make it suitable for composting or mulching; you can buy or hire shredders and some allotment societies have their own. If using a shredder, be considerate - they can be very noisy. Take care not to replace one nuisance with another.

Recycling Household waste should certainly not be burned on a bonfire. Many items can be recycled; find out about recycling facilities from your local council. Garden waste should not be mixed with other household waste. Ask your local authority what services they offer. Some local authorities provide larger ‘wheelie’ bins and allow garden rubbish to go in them. Waste can be taken to the local amenity site or your local authority may collect bagged rubbish free of charge. Old beds and sofas are not suitable for burning - some councils and voluntary groups collect old furniture for repair and re-use.