Does your fire meet the rules?

Make sure you're using the correct fuel

It’s lovely to sit by a roaring fire, but not if it’s polluting the environment.

Edinburgh is a Smoke Control Area, which helps us meet the air quality standards for sulphur dioxide set by European law.

This means you can only use an approved smokeless fuel or your solid fuel appliance must be tested to ensure it can burn ordinary fuels without creating smoke. This is known as an ‘exempt’ appliance.

Wood and ordinary bituminous coal are not authorised fuels. If you intend to burn these fuels you need to ensure that you are using an exempt appliance.

Garden waste

Burning garden waste also produces smoke, which emits harmful pollutants including particles and dioxins. Plastics, rubber or painted materials create noxious fumes that give off a range of poisonous compounds when they are burned.

Air pollution can also damage health. People with existing health problems (such as asthmatics, bronchitis sufferers, and people with heart conditions) are especially vulnerable.

Smoke, soot and smells from bonfires are the subject of about 30,000 complaints to local authorities every year – the Council’s environmental assessment team has investigated 150 this year so far.

Smoke prevents neighbours from enjoying their gardens, opening windows or hanging washing out – it also reduces visibility on roads.

What’s the alternative?

Rather than burning garden waste, you can either use the brown bins provided by the Council or bring all your garden waste along to one of the four Community Recyling Centres in Edinburgh. See page 15 for address details.

Approved fuels and a list of exempt appliances can be found at www.uksmokecontrolareas.co.uk