Townsville City Council is urging residents to take advantage of being able to take green waste to the dump for free – rather than burning it at home – as more time is spent in the yard during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community Safety and Environment Committee Chair Cr Margie Ryder said it is important for residents to be considerate of their neighbours while cleaning up the yard and getting the housework done.
"It's a fantastic time of the year to be out in the garden and yard knocking out some of the work that you may have been putting off, but it's important to remember to be considerate to the neighbours," Cr Ryder said.
"It may be tempting to burn any green waste being picked up in the garden but there is both State and Local legislation that restrict the scale of backyard fires and the amount of smoke from them.
"Anything larger than this scale means that a permit from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is needed."
Townsville Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Russ Cook said that instead of burning green waste in the backyard, residents can use any of Council's waste facilities.
"Part of the changes to our waste management in recent years has been to introduce the free dumping of recyclables and green waste at all of our waste facilities," Cr Cook said.
"During this pandemic, our waste facilities have continued to operate, and I'd encourage all residents to take advantage of removing recyclable material and green waste for free."
Residents can review the local legislation on backyard burns here.
