Burning Outdoors: What, Where and When Can I Burn?
Outdoor burning is regulated by a combination of provincial legislation and local-government bylaws, including:
Visit Regulations and Bylaws
on Outdoor Burning for more detailed information.
Burn Only as a Last Resort
If you feel you must light a fire (and if provincial and municipal laws allow it), remember these important tips:
- Don't burn when the smoke will be trapped in the area — make sure the Ventilation Index for your region is "good."
- Burn efficiently. Light a quick-burning, hot fire that produces a minimum of smoke. To do this, don't starve the fire of oxygen and don't burn wet material: make sure the material has been dried for some time.
- Don't burn any garbage, such as tires, plastics, paper and cardboard. Reduce waste at its source by avoiding overpackaging and recycle everything you can!
- Never burn toxic, prohibited materials (e.g. tires, plastics, construction and demolition waste, treated and painted wood, and rubber).
- For information on recycling or disposal options, contact
the Recycling
Council of British Columbia's Recycling Hotline (Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday, 9:00am to 4:00pm):
The Ministry of Forests and Range has produced brochures on Stoves & Campfires (PDF: 412 KB/2 pages) and Backyard & Industrial
Burning (PDF: 746 KB/2 pages) that provide valuable information on relevant wildfire laws. For information on open-burning bans, campfire bans, and forest-use restrictions, visit the Ministry
of Forests and Range's Open
Fire Ban site.
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