Keep Britain Tidy calls for action to tackle flaming litter

Nothing gets us angrier than environmental catastrophes that could have been avoided, and that is why Keep Britain Tidy is calling for a ban on disposable BBQs.

The call comes as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s summer campaign, #BanTheFlamingThings,  to address three forms of litter that pose fire and safety risks to people and our natural environment; disposable single-use BBQs, sky lanterns and littered glass.

Last summer, several retailers announced temporary bans on single-use BBQs, but Keep Britain Tidy are calling on retailers and asking them to do the right thing for the environment and take them off their shelves permanently.

 

Why are we calling for a ban on BBQs?

Disposable BBQs can reach 400 degrees Celsius and take around four hours to cool down, making them impossible to move, and posing danger to people and the environment.

 

Injury to people

There are countless reports of people severely burned by littered BBQs - injuries that could have been prevented.

Toby Tyler, father to 11-year-old William, tells us about the horror his family endured when his son, then aged nine, stepped in sand where a disposable BBQ had been used several hours before. 

“The injury he sustained has been life-changing and after skin grafts, psychological support, wheelchairs and walking frames, two years down the line he bears the physical and mental scars of the incident. He will carry these into his adult life.

“That’s why I started a petition to ban single-use disposable BBQs for good, and I ask everyone to join me”.

You can sign Toby’s petition to ban on single-use BBQs here.

 

Fire Risks

Abandoned, smouldering single-use BBQs, sky lanterns and littered glass are among the main causes of the thousands of grass and open land fires recorded around the UK each summer, harming the environment and putting pressure on our stretched emergency services.

London Fire Brigade, which attended more than 1,000 grass and open land fires last summer, has called for a temporary ban on them.

 

Climate Change Readiness

With top scientists predicting that climate change will result in hotter, drier summers and more extreme weather incidents, we all need to take steps to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Enough is enough! How many more fires started by abandoned barbecues or carelessly discarded glass bottles do we have to see before action is taken?

“Unless we outlaw the sale of disposable barbecues, ban sky lanterns and introduce a comprehensive deposit return scheme that would remove littered glass from our environment, these dangerous forms of litter will remain a significant risk to our environment and a potential threat to life.

 

Take action now

If, like us, you think single-use BBQs are an environmental catastrophe, join us and take action to call for retailers to permanently remove them from their shelves today.

I’m joining @KeepBritainTidy and calling on retailers like (insert your chosen retailer) to permanently ban single-use barbecues from their stores.

These environmental nightmares cause wildfires and are dangerous for people #BanTheFlamingThings.

 

Sky Lantern Ban

In addition to calling for a ban on disposable BBQs, Keep Britain Tidy has joined the National Farmers’ Union to call for a ban on sky lanterns.

Every year up to 2.25 million sky lanterns are released in the UK according to a Defra report published in 2024. These floating flames are highly dangerous, and damage to farm animals and property by sky lanterns is well documented.  

Please join us, and 100,000 others and sign our petition to ask the government to ban sky lanterns once and for all.

 

#PainInTheGlass

Acting as a catalyst for fire, littered glass left in grass and woodlands poses a needless risk.  This is why we are repeating calls for glass to be included in the upcoming Deposit Return Scheme.

You can read more about our #PainInTheGlass campaign here.