With the recent heatwave in mind, and with summer ahead, many of us will be anticipating more time outdoors, perhaps in National Parks or on beaches. This might include eating outdoors or perhaps cooking ‘al fresco’ on a barbecue. Already ‘instant barbecues’ are on the shelves and although several large retailers such as Aldi, Lidl and Marks & Spencer, have banned their sale, these items are still widely and cheaply available.
Some local authorities and beauty spots have already taken action in the form of bans, these include The New Forest, Brighton and Hove and, locally, large stretches of the Dorset coast. The necessity of these measures underlines just how serious the negative impact of disposable barbecues can be.
They are, of course, not recyclable as a whole, being made up of a mix of cardboard, metal, plastic, charcoal and a ‘lighter sheet’ which will have been pre-soaked in petroleum-based accelerants. The unit can reach temperatures of up to several hundred degrees Celsius and, because they are not fully insulated by the foil tray, this heat can transfer to underlying sand, wood or grass, persisting for several hours and posing a risk to humans, animals and a continuing fire risk.
On beaches ‘disposal’ issues often lead to the hot barbecue being buried in the sand, creating a hidden hazard which can result in cuts and burns for unsuspecting passers-by. According to the CEO of Keep Britain Tidy, they are
“the worst of all possible forms of litter …you shouldn’t touch them for eight hours after use. Nobody who buys a so-called disposable barbecue intends to stay with it for eight hours. Even after being covered with water, they can reignite. People put sand on them to try to extinguish them, and that sand, and the sand underneath the barbecue, gets heated to such a degree that it can burn flesh a long time after the barbecue is over.”
Binning disposable barbecues that may be extinguished but not cooled sufficiently, is yet another fire risk.
So this summer, consider saving the barbecue for a day at home and pack an extra-delicious picnic instead! Save the Earth a grilling?
Jo Thomas, Plastic Free Axminster
