Mornington Peninsula council want to end burn-offs in urban areas by 2025
The days of the backyard bonfire on the Mornington Peninsula are numbered as the local council seeks “healthier” ways to get rid of green waste.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Victorian council in a high bushfire risk area wants to phase out backyard burn-offs.
Mornington Peninsula council is working to end the “archaic” burning of green waste in urban areas from Mount Eliza to Portsea and Somerville to Flinders by the end of 2025.
The council unanimously voted on Tuesday night to identify and implement new strategies and technologies as alternatives to open air burning within two years.
A community education campaign about the public health impacts of burning-off would be rolled out in 2024.
Councillor Sarah Race said it would take “radical pragmatism” to achieve the ambitious goal, however, it was critical to end the “negligent” activity.
“The days of green waste burning are numbered in urban settings,” she said.
Mornington Peninsula residents are currently allowed to burn green waste on properties greater than 1500 square metres without a permit.
However, the permit exemption applies only during the Fire Danger Period on Fridays and Saturdays between 9am and 4pm.
Councillor Antonella Celi said big campaigns were needed to teach residents about the dangers of open air burning.
“They have no idea … what the impacts of open air burning are on our community and the pollution that goes out into the atmosphere,” she said.
“Anything we can do as a shire to educate our community to keep our environment clean and clear for future generations is a really good thing.”
The shire runs a fortnightly green waste collection for urban properties and offers four free green waste weekends at council tips for all residents.
Ratepayers and residents also received four tip tickets annually to help manage green and household waste.
Councillor David Gill said the shire’s farming community could not control fuel loads and dispose of green waste without burning-off.
He urged the council to keep investigating affordable alternatives including making green waste bins available in more areas across the shire.
The push to end backyard burn-offs in urban areas came as the council considered its draft local law governing open air burning.
The council recently asked the community for feedback on its open air burning rules and made some minor changes to the local law in response to more than 2200 submissions.
Most people were in favour of burn-offs as a cost effective way to reduce fuel loads.
However, some wanted burns moved further away from dwellings so the council increased the distance to 20m.
Other changes included a requirement that ESTA (Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority) was notified two hours prior to all burns.
The new local law was adopted on Tuesday and is now in force.
