Burning leaves and branches on the plotwas once a common practice. It even seemed to be very desirable, especially with regard to the incineration of plant waste infested with diseases and pests. However, in the light of the current regulations, bothburning leaves and burning branches on plots are prohibited and there is a fine for thisFind out more about the current regulations for 2021 regarding burning leaves and seehow to properly dispose of green waste from a plot of land
Is it allowed to burn leaves on the plot?
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Burning leaves and branches on plots and gardens has long been controversial.On the one hand, most gardening guides recommend burning leaves and branches affected by diseases and pests in order not to spread the infection. On the other hand, we are bound byregulations prohibiting the burning of leaves and branches on private propertiesWe advise how to get out of this dilemma and present the current legal status for 2020.
Laws prohibiting the smoking of leaves and branches
We are banned from burning leaves and branches on plots and in gardensunder the Waste Act of December 14, 2012, as amended. Two articles of this law are of key importance here:
- art. 30, which prohibits the processing of waste(including incineration) outside of the installations and devices intended for this, while exempting from this ban natural persons who compost for their own needs, which in practice means thatdoes not we are allowed to incinerate plant waste on the plot, but we can compost it on our own ,
- art. 31, which in point 7 allows for the burning of collected plant residuesoutside installations and devices,unless they are subject to the obligation of separate collection .
Until recently, art. 31 asallowing for independent burning of leaves and branches on plotsand whether it is allowed to burn dry leaves and branches was determined by local regulations in a given commune. However, at presentwe are all obliged to segregate waste , and municipalities are obliged to collect waste separately, which in practice means thatalone leaves and branches on the plots must not be burned
It is forbidden to burn leaves on the plots and in the gardens
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Burning leaves and branches on your own plot is also prohibited by Art. 144 of the Civil Code , ordering to refrain from actions that would interfere with the use of neighboring properties above the average measure resulting from the socio-economic destination of the property and local relations. Combustion of plant waste, which produces smoke that is troublesome for the owners of neighboring properties, is a violation of this regulation.
In turnart. 145 of the Code of Petty Offenses allows you to impose a fine on a person polluting neighboring properties with smoke in the amount of up to PLN 500In practice, it is sometimes possible to avoid a fine by quickly following the orders of the services and stopping combustion. However, we can never be sure what the decision will be. So it's better not to risk it.
Additionallyin allotment gardens, burning leaves and branches is prohibited by the RODregulations, adopted by the National Council of the Polish Allotment Association. This is mentioned in § 68 (Order bans), which in point 5 prohibits the incineration of any waste and plant residues in the area of the ROD.
What to do with leaves and branches that must not be burned?
Green waste, i.e. dry leaves, branches after cutting trees and shrubs, mowed grass, stems, flowers and weeds should be delivered to the local PSZOK , i.e. the Selective Waste Collection Point Municipal.PSZOK can be found in every commune. They accept rubbish free of charge, although they have certain quantitative limits.
Most municipalities also organize collection of green wasteThey are usually cyclical, and detailed information can be found on the websites of city and municipal offices .Waste must be properly prepared before collection, i.e. packed in bags
Leaves packed in bags
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For people who do not have their own composter , the fact that that it is possible to compost leaves in plastic bags.For this purpose, black foil bags are used, which, after filling with leaves, should be tied and holes should be made in them so that oxygen can get inside. You can also buy special composting bags that are durable enough and have holes already made.
Turning the leaves into compost can take a whole year or more, however. Thereforebefore tying the bags to the leaves, add the Trigger-4 composting accelerating biopreparationIt contains bacteria and enzymes that facilitate the decomposition of organic matter. Thanks to this,ready, fully mature compost in bags can be obtained in just 3 monthsThis means that green waste collected in bags in autumn will be mature compost, ready to be used in the garden by spring!
"We invite you to purchase the preparation Trigger-4 100g sachet complete with two 80-liter compost bags. These practical kits are available in the shop of our guide. We highly recommend this methodgetting rid of autumn leaves and other green waste from the garden The side effect is the creation of an excellent natural fertilizer for our plants. "
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For composting and covering plants, however, we should not use leaves infected with diseases or pestsSuch leaves can be buried deep in the ground (as long as we have a place in the garden where they can be
In the latter casewe don't have to worry that in the municipal or communal composting plant, plant residues infected with pathogens will be dangerousAs long as in a garden composter, temperatures are not high enough to destroy any pathogens, in large composting plants this is what happens. Due to the high composting temperature, pathogenic fungi, insects, bacteria and viruses die. Thereforereturning the collected leaves and branches to the PSZOK is a legal and environmentally safe solution
