Cardinia Shire Council has temporarily eased burn off restrictions for residents who are allowed to burn off for fire prevention purposes.
From now until the Fire Danger Period is declared, open air burning is allowed without a permit from Monday to Saturday, provided that:
- you live in the Cardinia Shire Council Bushfire Prone Area (BPA)
- the burn off is for fire prevention and fire fuel reduction purposes
- Council's burn off requirements are followed at all times
- your burn off is registered with the CFA.
If your property is 20 hectares or less in size you must have:
- no more than 1 open air fire at once
- a fire break of 3 metres
- a maximum pile size of 8 cubic metres (that is, 2 metres long, 2 metres deep and 2 metres high).
If your property is greater than 20 hectares in size you must have:
- no more than 3 open air fires at once
- a fire break of 6 metres
- a maximum pile size of 64 cubic metres (that is, 4 metres long, 4 metres deep and 4 metres high).
The easing of restrictions aims to help landowners reduce fire fuel in the lead up to the Fire Danger Period.
Before you burn off, please consider using one of these methods to reduce your fuel load:
- the kerbside green waste bin collection
- hard and bundled green waste collection
- composting or mulching (we offer waste reduction rebates)
- taking green waste to a local tip, transfer station or waste facility
We also encourage residents to familiarise themselves with the CFA's guide to safely burning off and to talk to their neighbours before burning off.
If you decide to burn off this year, you must follow all the rules:
- You cannot burn off on Total Fire Ban or smog alert days. To check if it's a Total Fire Ban day, go to the CFA website. To check if it's a smog alert day, check EPA AirWatch
- Fires must be supervised. A person 18 years or over with the means and ability to put the fire out must be present for the whole time the fire is alight.
- The purpose of the fire must be to reduce fuel on your property. It cannot be lit for commercial or industrial purposes.
- You can only burn dry vegetation, not green vegetation. Hard rubbish, household waste, flammable liquids or commercial or industrial waste is strictly not allowed to be burnt.
- Fires must not cause risk to other properties.
- Smoke from the fire cannot reduce visibility on any roads.
- Fires must not cause problems for other people. It must not be unreasonably offensive or a nuisance to another person – particularly from the smoke it creates.
- You need to put the fire out if an authorised person tells you to. Fires must be immediately put out if a member of an emergency service or Council officer directs you to do this.
