Backyard Burning
Backyard burning is discouraged to protect air quality and public health as backyard fires can generate excessive smoke.
Alternatives to backyard burning include:
- mulching your green waste at home
- taking your green waste to the West Metro Recycling Centre at 60 Lemnos Street, Shenton Park
- placing your green waste in our lime green-lidded collection bins
- arranging a green waste collection through verge valet
When lighting a fire in your backyard, such as in a fire pit using wood or heat beads or wood-fired pizza oven the fire should not cause excessive smoke, irritation or annoyance to others. These appliances or any open fire must not be used during Total Fire Bans or on days when the Fire Danger Rating is High, Extreme or Catastrophic.
Gas BBQs can be used at any time of the year.
For everyone’s safety, always supervise the fire while cooking and make sure it’s fully extinguished once you’re done.
Further information on backyard burning can be found here Burnwise - Backyard burning
Compliance and Enforcement
The Environmental Protection (Unauthorised Discharges) Regulations 2004 regulate what is prohibited to be disposed of into the environment or burned. Persons in connection with a business have the responsibility to dispose of waste in the correct manner in order to protect our environment.
Persons in connection with a business found to be burning materials which produce dark smoke may be fined up to $5 000. These materials include paint, carpet, plastic, vehicles, rubber and tyres.
If you witness a person discharging material into the environment or burning materials that produce black smoke, then you should contact the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on the 24hr pollution hotline by phoning 1300 784 782 or via email pollutionwatch@der.wa.gov.au.