AITA - burning wood in the garden edition

[maomao]

You can't do that with pressure treated wood and use it as mulch though, it's still toxic.

Yeah, I think wood chippers are just for bits cut off trees and stuff, you can't stick a door in one.

 

[weepiper]

Tbh even if it wasn't treated wood with the fumes issue from that, woodsmoke stinks your house out and I'd be pretty knobbed off if I had a baby in the house. At my last flat we had a next door neighbour with a fire pit and every time they lit it the two back bedrooms of our flat would smell smokey for hours even if the windows were shut.

 

[Duncan2]

Yeah, I think wood chippers are just for bits cut off trees and stuff, you can't stick a door in one.

True and I don't suppose B&Q would appreciate all the mangled nails that they might expect to find when their chipper is returned

 

[trashpony]

You know you can pay the council to take away bulky waste? It’s not much - probably cheaper than doing several car loads

I don’t have any neighbours next to my garden and I wouldn’t ever burn anything. It’s a warm bank holiday. People want to use their gardens and have their windows open.

 

[Epona]

This thread is actually quite timely, my mum sent me a photo earlier of my dad unwrapping his birthday prezzie - shelving racks for his brand new (metal) shed.
Prompted me to email back and after I'd wished him a happy birthday, say to them "don't bloody burn the old sheds". They hadn't realised, and are now going to take the wood from the old sheds to the appropriate dump for proper disposal.

So this thread has served a good purpose today

 

[friedaweed]

Take them a £5 bottle of wine or similar

Aye something cheap and full of sulphates. That'll learn'em

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Fly tip whatever is left in your neighbours garden Cloo

 

[Looby]

A few of my mates have got fire pits in their gardens and I kind of hate them although they were handy for outdoor stuff during rona lockdowns.

I don’t say anything because clearly most people love them and I want to spend time with my friends.

All my clothes absolutely stink and everything I wore last night will need to be washed at least once as will my hair.
When my neighbours use theirs my whole house stinks.
My chest also gets really tight.

It’s so antisocial.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I don't understand what the neighbours' beef is. He went round and told them he wanted to light a bonfire. He didn't light a bonfire until they were no longer in the garden.

I could understand the neighbours being annoyed if he'd just gone ahead and lit a bonfire without mentioning/checking with them first, but given he not only gave them a heads up but also waited until they'd left the garden, I don't understand what he's supposed to have done wrong.

 

[Duncan2]

Can't help idly wondering as someone with precious little scientific background actually none at all quite why it is that a bit of woodsmoke from a bonfire causes so much consternation among those who dont even seem to notice the fumes they themselves produce each time they jump into their Insignia and roar off to the shops.
ETA this is most definitely a generational thing its a fairly recent discovery that a modest garden bonfire is a terrible scourge.

 

[Cloo]

AnnO'Neemus - that's how gsv feels but he's dropped a note apologising , because we agree there are times it is the right thing to do even if you don't understand, and saying we genuinely hadn't realised it'd be such an issue. He tried speaking to the husband before but he was still quite annoyed as evidently his wife felt a bit backed into a corner being asked about it (which I can see - no one wants to say 'no' to someone's face) but honestly, we neither of us had clocked it was a much bigger deal than a bbq or something but I now see obviously it is. Maybe as we both were privileged enought to grow up with big gardens, it was never an issue and it wasn't really on our radar?

We don't expect to hear anything back from them in all likelihood, but we didn't want to leave it hanging either for gsv feeling he's not tried or for them to worry we might just escalate or something and do anything to spite them. But I think we've done what we can to apologise and set their minds at rest.

 

[Epona]

I don't understand what the neighbours' beef is. He went round and told them he wanted to light a bonfire. He didn't light a bonfire until they were no longer in the garden.

I could understand the neighbours being annoyed if he'd just gone ahead and lit a bonfire without mentioning/checking with them first, but given he not only gave them a heads up but also waited until they'd left the garden, I don't understand what he's supposed to have done wrong.

Arsenic in the pressure treated wood.

 

[Cloo]

Arsenic in the pressure treated wood.

I don't think it was even that - I just think they, probably not unreasonably, didn't want wood being burned next door on a warm day when they wanted windows etc open.

 

[Epona]

I don't think it was even that - I just think they, probably not unreasonably, didn't want wood being burned next door on a warm day when they wanted windows etc open.

Someone downstairs fired up a bbq on the paved bit outside once, had to shut all my windows and swelter, and even then my bedroom ended up smelling of smoke and slightly charred meat - not pleasant.

My parents have bonfires occasionally but they have a massively long garden that is mostly surrounded by fields, so they can do it well away from anyone's house. Don't want them burning their old sheds though if the wood has been treated (and they were old sheds, so probably contains all the worst shit that is now banned!)

 

[Edie]

Apparently wood burners (the ones you had inside) produce more pollution in the uk than all road traffic. My lovely neighbour has one and cycles to work every day I’d never say anything.

 

[platinumsage]

Can't help idly wondering as someone with precious little scientific background actually none at all quite why it is that a bit of woodsmoke from a bonfire causes so much consternation among those who dont even seem to notice the fumes they themselves produce each time they jump into their Insignia and roar off to the shops.

Probably because it’s several orders of magnitude worse.

 

[platinumsage]

.
ETA this is most definitely a generational thing its a fairly recent discovery that a modest garden bonfire is a terrible scourge.

Yeah doctors used to smoke in hospitals.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Yeah doctors used to smoke in hospitals.

I can remember my GP smoking during consultations. He died of lung cancer.

 

[maomao]

Can't help idly wondering as someone with precious little scientific background actually none at all quite why it is that a bit of woodsmoke from a bonfire causes so much consternation among those who dont even seem to notice the fumes they themselves produce each time they jump into their Insignia and roar off to the shops.
ETA this is most definitely a generational thing its a fairly recent discovery that a modest garden bonfire is a terrible scourge.

Well previous generations had massively unhealthy open fires inside the house five months of the year.

 

[Thora]

I don't understand what the neighbours' beef is. He went round and told them he wanted to light a bonfire. He didn't light a bonfire until they were no longer in the garden.

I could understand the neighbours being annoyed if he'd just gone ahead and lit a bonfire without mentioning/checking with them first, but given he not only gave them a heads up but also waited until they'd left the garden, I don't understand what he's supposed to have done wrong.

It is really annoying that as soon as there is some nice weather or a bank holiday weekend, people want to burn chemical coated wood and stink the neighbourhood out with toxic fumes.

 

[Duncan2]

Well previous generations had massively unhealthy open fires inside the house five months of the year.

previous you say?

 

[rubbershoes]

It is really annoying that as soon as there is some nice weather or a bank holiday weekend, people want to burn chemical coated wood and stink the neighbourhood out with toxic fumes.

Good weather is exactly the time not to have bonfires as people will have their washing out.

 

[Saffy]

I had to do some passive aggressive tutting while hurling my washing into the basket because a neighbour down the road lit a fire.

I love a bonfire but I always though you had to wait till dark. Maybe that was just my dad making it exciting for us.

 

[8ball]

Good weather is exactly the time not to have bonfires as people will have their washing out.

Exactly. Much better to have a bonfire when it's pissing down.

 

[Red Cat]

Yes, I sent gsv the link - he was already planning to dispose of it carefully JIC.

gsv's already chopped it up quite small - it's a shame his dad doesn't have his ancient volvo estate any more as that made this kind of thing much easier! Luckily question resolved for future in that he spoke to our mates 2 doors down about something else and they said it was a bit impactful for them and that's fortunately definitely resolved him not to burn any more of it and I think we should apologise to next door and say we didn't realise it'd have that much of an impact and we'll avoid it in future.

You've posted pics of your garden, and it's quite small, and the shed was large. I'm surprised you even considered it tbh. Is there no access to the garden except via the house?

 

[lazythursday]

I don't drive, have a crazily inaccessible house and I still manage to get rid of my shit without burning it. The simplest way is just to find a waste contractor - I use a brilliant guy with great eco credentials. It being a bit hard really isn't a good enough excuse for increasing pollution.

 

[Edie]

Tbh I think bonfires are just one of them things you had as kids in you or your relatives gardens and haven’t given any thought about since that they might be polluting. I have a fire pit in an old washing machine drum that I get out a few times each summer in the evening on the patio when I have mates round. I’ve not really given it much thought to be fair.

 

[pinkmonkey]

We used to club together with neighbours at our moorings and get a skip once a year, for the random crap that we were struggling to get rid of, everyone put £50 in the pot and the job was done. Could be a suggestion for the future? Re. the shed, as a wood burner owner and boater thats one of the first things we educate new boaters to not do, treated wood makes toxic fumes. Well meaning land lubbers will try to donate it to our community, old sheds and fences and the blue wooden pallets and we have to explain that it‘s dangerous to your health to burn that stuff in a woodburner.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I don't think it was even that - I just think they, probably not unreasonably, didn't want wood being burned next door on a warm day when they wanted windows etc open.

I could understand them being arsey if every time it was a nice day you lit a fire in your garden, but that's not the case. I think you've been more than considerate and they've been unreasonably arsey.

I think it's fair enough to give them a heads up and wait for them to go indoors. So long as you don't do it when they've just put their washing out or if they're hanging out in their garden. * Shrugs *

 

[frogwoman]

Yeah just don't do it. At least it wasnt plastic though like one of my old housemates. In a built up residential street.