Keep Your BBQ Safe this Summer

Keep Your Barbecue Safe This Summer

Wheelie bins are sturdy, and they can take a lot of punishment day to day. They are made from a high-density polyethylene that’s resistant to cracking, denting, bending and weathering.

However, there’s one element that your trusty bin will consider as its arch nemesis: Fire.

Wheelie bins are lightweight, affordable, and functional but unfortunately, no one has discovered a way to make them flame-resistant just yet.

As the summer approaches, and the temperature hots up, you might be considering having a barbecue. Here are some tips to ensure that your gathering doesn’t pose a fire risk:

Top tips for a safe barbecue

Fire services around the country are always keen to remind us to make sure that disposable BBQ’s are extinguished and allowed to cool before they are disposed of, but here’s what else you can do to keep safe this summer:

• Always read the safety instructions on your disposable barbecue
• Place the BBQ on a level surface so there’s no chance of it falling over and causing at best, your food to end up in a dirty heap, or at worse, a fire.
• This is one for the men: do NOT add paraffin or any other fuel to a BBQ, apart from charcoal or firelighters. You would be surprised at how quickly that flames can get out of control.
• Keep a bucket of water or garden hose to hand, just as a safety precaution.
• Keep your BBQ away from your home, shed, garage, fence, bins, trees or plants, and any other combustible materials. All you want to be cooked are your burgers and steaks, not your property!
• Keep an eye on kids and animals when you are cooking on a BBQ, don’t allow them to get too close.
• When you have finished, allow the BBQ to cool. The cold ashes should then be emptied onto soil instead of into the bin.
• The disposable BBQ itself can be placed into your general waste wheelie bin once it has fully cooled.
• If you have a gas BBQ, always read, and follow the safety instructions, and be sure to keep the gas cylinders away from sources of ignition. Never change the cylinder if you’re in a confined space.

Follow these tips, be safe, and enjoy your steaks in the knowledge that they will be the only things that get charred!