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Outdoor Burning

Burning restrictions in Invercargill and Gore

If you live within the Invercargill or Gore airsheds, you can only burn outdoors between 1 September and 30 April. Leisure activities such as barbecues, braziers, hangi and fireworks are exempt from this rule.

The Southland Regional Air Plan contains some rules about what you can and can’t burn in Southland, and when you can burn it.

You can only burn material listed as permitted in the Regional Air Plan:

  • dry vegetation, untreated wood, paper and cardboard.

You can’t burn any of the following:

  • tyres, used oil and metal products
  • chemically treated timber such as fence posts and some building materials
  • painted and varnished timber
  • synthetics including plastic, rubber, baleage wrap and agrichemical containers.

Download a full list of prohibited fuels from the Breathe Easy website – www.BreatheEasySouthland.co.nz

If your property is an industrial site, any burning is prohibited unless you have a consent. You can apply to Environment Southland for a consent.

There are alternative options for disposing of household and farm waste materials. These include using a kerbside waste collector, taking waste to local transfer station, hiring a mini skip, using a commercial collection company, recycling, reusing, composting vegetation, and mulching hedge cuttings. Burying waste is not recommended.

For information on baleage wrap and farm waste disposal go to www.es.govt.nz.To find out how to dispose of other waste materials visit the Orange Pages recycling directory at: www.wastenet.org.nz

Agrecovery

Agrichemical plastics and drums collection. Call 0800 247 326, register free online at www.agrecovery.co.nz

CMC Contracting

Baleage wrap, agrichemical plastic containers, drums and other recyclable material. Call Karina on 027 317 7482, email cmcplasback@xtra.co.nz or visit www.cmccontracting.nz

Southland Waste Transfer Stations & Recycling Centres

See Wastenet Southland’s website for details of the waste transfer stations and recycling centres in Southland – www.wastenet.org.nz

If your only option is to burn, you are responsible for any smoke nuisance you cause. Consider the following best practice tips:

Make sure all burning material is dry, well aerated and loosely stacked in small piles so it burns hot and without excessive smoke. Burning green or damp hedge cuttings and vegetation causes excess smoke.

Burn downwind and as far away from property boundaries, other houses, roads, hedges, etc as possible.

Check the direction the smoke will blow. Will it affect neighbours? Burn in a light breeze and avoid burning in an inversion layer.

Talk to them about a convenient time to burn. This is a much better option than dealing with an unhappy neighbour.

https://www.checkitsalright.nz/can-i-light-a-fire

At all times and be prepared to put it out if it creates a nuisance. Uncontrolled fires must be reported to Fire and Emergency New Zealand – call 111.

Contact us If you have any questions about outdoor burning or nuisance from smoke caused through burning, contact Environment Southland on 0800 76 88 45.

The burning of materials like plastics, rubber, chemicals and household rubbish is prohibited by the Regional Air Plan because there is a high risk of releasing harmful particles. These contaminants may cause serious health effects in people and animals, such as cancers, respiratory disease and birth defects.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand issue fire permits. Please note that this is separate to resource consents issued by Regional Council. In some cases you may need both a permit and consent, or be issued a permit but not comply with Regional Council rules, so you will need to check this before lighting a fire.

If you want to light an open air fire at your rural property that complies with the 100m rule, you need to find out what the current fire season is and whether you need a fire permit. Please visit the Fire and Emergency New Zealand website for more information on fire permits and seasons, www.checkitsalright.nz.

No matter what the fire season is and whether you have a permit, you still need to follow any Council bylaws and Regional Council requirements relating to smoke nuisance and the burning of prohibited materials.

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