Our policy is to minimise burning off in Byron Shire. If you must burn off in rural areas, a permit is required during bush fire danger periods. A fire permit is required to carry out open-air burning at any time in urban areas.
Fire permits are issued by the Rural Fire Service (RFS). For more information:
Before you burn, check the Rural Fire Service’s Total Fire Bans and Current Fire Danger page.
Council has a Burning of Garden Waste Matter Policy against burning off within the Shire. The objective of this policy is to minimise air pollution and protect our clean, clear fresh air and our health.
Burning off also contributes to greenhouse gasses, releasing carbon dioxide from vegetation and soils and sending it into the atmosphere.
The need to burn off in urban areas has been dramatically reduced with the new green organics bin collection service that turns a waste product into a beneficial natural resource.
We also encourage residents to choose alternative methods to burning off when managing green waste - using green waste as mulch, soil stabiliser or stockpiling it to gradually decompose, for example.
Before burning green waste, you must:
- Ensure any timber is dry, not green.
- Consider the impact of smoke on your own health and the health of others.
- Attend fires at all times when alight and ensure extinguished when left.
- Begin with a small fire and gradually add to it, rather than burn large stockpiles at once.
Do not burn:
- Treated timbers.
- Tyres.
- Paints.
- Solvents.
- Unnatural materials.
The Protection of the Environment Operations Act allows Council to take actions if illegal materials are burnt, or the air pollution from a fire (with or without permit) is having or likely to cause serious discomfort or inconvenience to any person.