Call for ban on disposable barbecues

A waste firm has called for a ban on the hazardous cheap grill sets after fires in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire moors over Easter.

Waste and recycling firm Business Waste has called for a ban on disposable barbecue sets after a devastating fire on Ikley Moor in West Yorkshire.

This followed a major fire on Saddleworth Moor, also attributed to a barbecue set.

The company, which is based near Ilkley, said there had been two blazes on Ilkley Moor over the Easter weekend, despite it having been illegal since 1900 to light a fire there.

Business Waste said the cheap grill sets perpetuate the harmful 'single-use' culture, which threatens the environment, in addition to being fire hazards as the charcoal they use - normally unsustainably sourced - cannot be recycled or composted.

This means that the million or so sold each year in the UK end up in landfills.

Mark Hall, communications director of Business Waste, said: “One supermarket chain alone sold 300,000 disposable barbecues last year – that means there are likely over a million of them sold each year, each one contributing to ruining forests for sourcing charcoal and adding to piles of waste in landfill.

“While most people will dispose of them safely, even a small percentage failing to do so could have drastic consequences for the local flora and fauna.“

Banning them would reduce anti-social behaviour, littering and fire risk he said, urging major retailers to cease stocking the kits.

Image credit: iStock