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Concrete brick incinerator
Courtesy of Australia Remember When
Lyn Walsh posted a comment; ”We had one of these in the backyard. It was a good way to get rid of a lot of rubbish. like papers etc. All the neighbours had them and yes one neighbour would light it in the morning when the washing was drying on the line. I can still hear Mum saying "Can't he see we have washing on the line?”
Whilst we’re talking about incinerators, remember the size of our garbage bag bins. Much smaller than we have today and they held a lot. The garbos came twice a week if I remember. They carried the bins on their shoulders and used to jump the fence between houses. Ah the old days.”
Thanks Lyn. It was in the 80s that the use of backyard incinerators was banned. Every household had one. Garden refuse, household rubbish, bits and pieces from the workshop — anything, really — was burned.
Sure, the practice cut down on landfill, but it wasn’t much fun for the neighbours and by the ‘80s was affecting air quality.
In certain circumstances, bonfires are allowed in regional areas but in our towns and cities, a good, old-fashioned burn-off is a no-no today.
