Allotment Guide

Bonfires on allotments

Bonfires can cause a number of issues including air pollution, health and safety risks and annoyance to residents in the surrounding area. 

We discourage but do not forbid bonfires on allotment sites, we recommend you only have a bonfire if it is absolutely necessary. We encourage tenants to compost rather than burn or to dispose of materials by using a local reclamation site.

The use of bonfires on allotments is covered in section 2.26 of your tenancy agreement.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 you must conform to the following requirements:

  • Bonfires must be fully extinguished before leaving the site
  • Only burn when suitable weather conditions permit to avoid causing a nuisance
  • Only burn organic matter and dry vegetable matter that has been produced on your own plot – do not bring waste from outside the site to burn
  • Do not burn material that has been given to you from other plots
  • Do not set fire to massive piles of materials. Start with a small stack and add further materials in stages
  • Plastics, rubber, carpet, roofing felt and other non-garden waste material must not be burnt
  • In the event of a reasonable complaint from another tenant or member of the public, regarding a nuisance being caused by the bonfire, the fire must be extinguished immediately

You cannot, under any circumstances burn the following:

  • Wet, damp or moist garden materials
  • Home waste such as cardboard, wood, newspaper, packaging, garden waste
  • Plastics/ rubber or any materials which will give off black or noxious fumes
  • Any inflammable substance such as petrol, diesel, paraffin or methylated spirits or similar in order to start the bonfire.