By Mikayla van Loon
Burning off already comes with a number of risks and concerns but Emerald resident David Tunks, fears the new laws proposed by Cardinia Shire Council will be detrimental to the climate.
Under the new laws, the council plans to rezone urban, bushland and rural areas, meaning each will have different requirements for burning off, including the days in which residents can burn green waste, as well as the capacity in which they can burn.
Emerald falls into the bushland and peri-urban category and could mean under new laws that residents can legally burn two, three cubic metre green waste piles four days a week.
This equates to 216 cubic metres of green waste per week, which is an increase from just 24 cubic metres per week in the current system.
“This will inevitably mean more toxic smoke billowing over neighbourhoods and more greenhouse gases released into the environment” Mr Tunks said.
“In fact, burning wood releases six times more carbon dioxide into the environment than letting the wood rot or compost.
“In a time when the global environment is on a knife edge with all major governments and many industries working towards zero emissions I would have expected the Cardinia Shire Council would do more towards limiting unnecessary pollution from the burning of green waste rather than enabling more burning off.”
A Cardinia Shire Council spokesperson said the council will consider and review all concerns raised by residents before the final local law is approved.
“The Open Air Fires Local Law aims to provide for flexible fuel reduction and fire prevention while discouraging unnecessary health and environmental hazards caused by smoke,” the spokesperson said.
Cardinia Shire Council said it hopes to find the right balance between fire prevention and the impact on the environment by focusing on how smoke impacts the community and alternative methods of green waste disposal.
“These changes are proposed to reduce hazardous smoke caused from burning wet material. This is intended to encourage an uptake of alternative methods of waste disposal during wetter months and reduce smoke impacts.”
Mr Tunks said he currently has neighbours who burn off every week, both on the days they are allowed to and the days they are not.
“The increased burning off will mean more smoke more often. Currently, when the smoke is heavy I have to retreat indoors so with the proposed changes to the law that will mean I will not be able to spend as much time outside in the garden and doing work around the house,” he said.
“Occasionally we have even smelled it inside so I guess that will get worse too. Even when the smoke is not heavy you can still smell it and that is not pleasant either.”
Burning off also has a two fold impact – it releases more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causing the planet to warm which then creates a higher risk of bushfires.
“Increased global temperature means more frequent, larger bushfires. So, these polluters who are contributing to global warming on the pretence of limiting the hazards of bushfires are in fact making the situation worse,” Mr Tunks said.
Understanding that people need to clean up their properties prior to the summer bushfire season, Mr Tunks would like to see more options made available to residents to dispose of green waste and higher permit costs and fines to deter people from unnecessarily burning off.
“People definitely need to clean up their properties in preparation for the summer. But burning off and adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere simply adds to the increasing threat of bushfires,” he said.
“We need a more environmentally and socially responsible means of disposing of green waste.”
Mr Tunks has submitted a request to the council asking it to expand its green waste collection in the peri-urban and bushland zone by offering extra green waste bins and extra green waste curbside collections for larger properties.
Having moved to the hills a few years ago from Ferntree Gully, Mr Tunks said he loves the lifestyle Emerald provides, it’s tranquility, clean air and greenery but wants it to remain that way into the future.
“We, like many others, made a conscious choice to live in Cardinia Shire to enjoy the beautiful natural environment and to benefit from a healthier environment,” he said.
“My hope is that the council will see that it’s time for change. It’s time to put the environment and our future before the selfish wants of some shortsighted individuals. It’s time for the council to consider new ways to tackle old issues before it’s too late.”
