Bonfire night

[DavieC]

I was listening to the radio the other day and a chap was on advertising an organised bonfire and fireworks display.He said that they have a thousand tons of timber to set fire to.Im not sure if he meant a hundred tons but either way that's a lot of carbon going into the air at a time when we're all becoming aware of harmful emissions.Should bonfire night now become a thing of the past because with all the talk of going green and climate change I haven't heard anyone mention anything about bonfire night and burning all sorts of stuff on November the 5th but surely it can't continue?

 

[devexwarrior]

FFS - the amount of carbon produced by a few bonfires is minuscule compared to the carbon produced by perfectly natural wildfires across the world or by people driving to work or by the generation of energy. Stop wetting your collective pants about everything. To think that a couple of generations ago we fought two wars of survival and now we are pi$$ing out selves over bloody bonfires. Another daft t thread goes on ignore, in fact I think I'll stay out of the snug for a bit an just read the technical threads on the important subjects of producing and imbibing intoxicating liquor.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I was listening to the radio the other day and a chap was on advertising an organised bonfire and fireworks display.He said that they have a thousand tons of timber to set fire to.Im not sure if he meant a hundred tons but either way that's a lot of carbon going into the air at a time when we're all becoming aware of harmful emissions.Should bonfire night now become a thing of the past because with all the talk of going green and climate change I haven't heard anyone mention anything about bonfire night and burning all sorts of stuff on November the 5th but surely it can't continue?

We are not allowed to burn coal and wet wood on open fires and stoves any more and must use smokeless coal instead so i guess in theory bonfires should be banned as people dump any old crap they want to get rid of on them, i would prefer to allow organised bonfires but ban the sale of fireworks to the general public, i am sure many of us have pets and hate November when the kids are letting the things off all night.


The Environmental Impact of Wood Smoke

Wood smoke is air pollution. It’s as simple as that.

You might think that using your fireplace or woodstove is not a big problem, but wood smoke pollution really adds up:
In the winter months, burning wood accounts for more than 30% of the particle pollution in the San Francisco Bay Area.

According to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, burned wood releases more particle pollution than the entire region’s vehicles and businesses.

Residential wood burning also produces a laundry list of other pollutants such as mercury, carbon monoxide, greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides. The VOCs react with nitrogen oxides to form ground-level ozone and with water vapor to form acid rain.

Wood burning is the second largest source of dioxins in the Bay Area. These dioxins end up in the bay, ocean, creeks, and soil, where they accumulate in fish and livestock, poisoning our food supply.

https://www.familiesforcleanair.org/environment/environment2/

 

[Chippy_Tea]

FFS - the amount of carbon produced by a few bonfires is minuscule compared to the carbon produced by perfectly natural wildfires across the world or by people driving to work or by the generation of energy

We have no control over wildfires but we do over burning bonfires to celebrate something that happened in 1605.

I am sure we have all seen bonfires full of old mattresses, plastic barrels, painted doors and general stuff that shouldn't be on a bonfire as the article below puts it it would be considered fly tipping at any other time of the year and i bet if the council took all the fly tipping they collect in a year to a field and burnt it on November the 5th there would be a Spanish inquisition, maybe its time to start looking at only allowing organised bonfires.


Part of a Guardian article -

We can still celebrate bonfire night without burning toxic waste

Dioxins released when we set fire to our junk on Guy Fawkes night are entering the food chain

There is no better antidote to the extreme civilisation which afflicts us than burning things and blowing things up. I'm all for it. Though with certain qualifications.

One of the better rules that gets upended on fireworks night is the law prohibiting fly-tipping. At all other times of year, most householders would no sooner drag their old sofas into the park and set light to them than torch their neighbour's car. But build a community bonfire and it becomes a magnet for people who can't be bothered to take their junk to the dump. Old furniture, skirting boards covered in paint, treated outdoor timber: the whole lot goes on – and goes up. And no one seems to care. The practice seems to be acceptable even in the most unlikely places.

At a children's event run by a community garden group last weekend, I saw that the bonfire had been stacked with old painted boards. The group that runs it, which emphasises its green credentials, boasts that the garden was created on land reclaimed from a "toxic waste-filled old garage site". So let's celebrate by burning toxic waste.

Dioxins and furans are created when substances containing chlorine are burnt at low temperatures. They are extremely toxic. They can cause cancer and disrupt the endocrine (hormone-producing) system. They can affect the development of foetuses and babies. They are persistent and they bioaccumulate, meaning that they build up in fatty tissue faster than they can be broken down or excreted.


https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ate-bonfire-night-burn-toxic-waste-guy-fawkes

 

[DavieC]

Steady on @devexwarrior , I certainly didn't want or intend to upset anyone, it was a genuine thought.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Steady on @devexwarrior , I certainly didn't want or intend to upset anyone, it was a genuine thought.

I guess he has a couple of old mattresses and a sofa he wants rid of

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

i would prefer to allow organised bonfires but ban the sale of fireworks to the general public, i am sure many of us have pets and hate November when the kids are letting the things off all night.

Absolutely agree. There is no need for the general public to have access to fireworks - organised displays are the way to go. I still have nightmares about those adverts from the 80's about people with a crack on their face instead of an eye, due to irresponsible idiots throwing them and such like.

Also agree about the pets. I have an OAP labrador and he is terrified of the noise. They are extremely selfish and don't consider how much they are putting people out by what they're doing. Makes me blinking angry to be fair!

While I'm on a rant, the neighbours leave a lot to be desired as they are literally burning stuff once a week and stinking our house out with the fumes.

We ourselves do have a stove but we only burn smokeless coal and kiln dried wood - I'm aware of the environmental issues and also don't want to kn@cker our chimney with the damp tar deposits etc.

If there was a petition for such a cause to stop the pollution I would sign it.

 

[Clint]

Ah those were the days....you couldn't beat smoking up a load of three piece settees or some old pi55ed mattress...
We used to hoard junk for weeks to make a huge bonfire..we would sling anything and everything on it.

 

[devexwarrior]

Steady on @devexwarrior , I certainly didn't want or intend to upset anyone, it was a genuine thought.

No personal affront taken, everyone is entitled to their view, but the UK contributes a tiny fraction of the words carbon. Our history and culture faces imminent destruction from 'revisionists' so celebrating the foiling of a plot to destroy parliament is really a small thing. Let's burn our guys and stop being frightened of everything.

 

[Leon103]

Let's also ban Christmas. Surely having Santa fly all around the world isn't good for the planet. Plus all those extra letters and parcels that get sent.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

We ourselves do have a stove but we only burn smokeless coal and kiln dried wood

We are planning on a multi fuel stove but having talked to a workmate who has one i wont be burning wet wood for the reason you stated or kiln dried as he says its so dry its gone in no time, he told me to weatch this comparison -

 

[Clint]

Let's also ban Christmas. Surely having Santa fly all around the world isn't good for the planet. Plus all those extra letters and parcels that get sent.

It runs on magic dust. EVERYONE knows that!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

We are planning on a multi fuel stove but having talked to a workmate who has one i wont be burning wet wood for the reason you stated or kiln dried as he says its so dry its gone in no time, he told me to weatch this comparison -

He must be burning soft wood, which is gone in no time. Hard wood is obviously better but it's more expensive. Hadn't considered my kiln dried wood might be soft, will definitely revise this, thanks CT.

Will watch the video now.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I was at a bonfire night in the 60's and the lad my friend standing next to me got a spark or something in his eye. He lost it. Later he was a really good footballer and on Bolton Wanderers books but didn't make it due to having one eye. He then signed for Witton Albion a Northwich non league side and played over 500 games for them . What could he have achieved with two eyes.

 

[VW911]

Shops can only sell "kiln dried" logs and kindling now.
Pray, where does the energy to fuel the kilns come from?

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Ok - I've come to a conclusion. It seems the wood I buy is kiln dried silver birch, which seems to be soft wood. I won't be buying this again.

I am a great fan of the Ecoal50 stuff, which is made with a percentage of recycled olive stones and I use this regularly.

Thanks for the kick up the ar$e I needed to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

It's amazing what you can learn on here!

 

[DavieC]

Ah those were the days....you couldn't beat smoking up a load of three piece settees or some old pi55ed mattress...
We used to hoard junk for weeks to make a huge bonfire..we would sling anything and everything on it.

We used to build a huge bonfire in 'the backs' just a few feet from people's gates, sometimes another gang would come and try to light it up before the 5th,the older lads stayed on guard all night once it was built.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

He must be burning soft wood, which is gone in no time. Hard wood is obviously better but it's more expensive. Hadn't considered my kiln dried wood might be soft, will definitely revise this, thanks CT.

Will watch the video now.

You might be right he never mentioned hard or soft wood, i am a tight git so will probably mainly use smokeless coals but i will occasionally also use wood i do like the look of burning logs and the crackle sound they make when burning.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

You might be right he never mentioned hard or soft wood, i am a tight git so will probably mainly use smokeless coals but i will occasionally also use wood i do like the look of burning logs and the crackle sound they make when burning.

yes that's the attraction isn't it - and the flames are kind of romantic, especially on cold winter's evenings. Not worth the hassle though - practise what you preach and all that!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Pray, where does the energy to fuel the kilns come from?

Wood