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Burn garden waste in an incinerator

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a pile of prunings, leaves or paper, and a search that treats 15, 90 and 210 litres as the same bin. They are not. This page is how to burn garden waste in an incinerator from this amazon.co.uk set: which volume matches the pile, where a title disagrees with another line, and what must go to the council. The ten listings are on the [fire barrel comparison](/hub/outdoor-fire-pits/fire-barrel). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, used those listings, GOV.UK and Defra, checked on 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a pile of prunings, leaves or paper, and a search that treats 15, 90 and 210 litres as the same bin. They are not.

Our top picks

KetoPlastics KetoPlastics 210 L drum

Best overall

KetoPlastics KetoPlastics 210 L drum
9.0/10about £34.95
View offer
Trendi Trendi galvanised bin

Best value

Trendi Trendi galvanised bin
8.8/10about £16.40
View offer
Best House Best House 15 L bin

Rank 3

Best House Best House 15 L bin
8.4/10about £10.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.15, 90 and 210 litres are different jobs
  2. 2.Where the litre line is not the only line
  3. 3.What you can put in, and what you cannot
  4. 4.A home bin is not a business exemption

15, 90 and 210 litres are different jobs

Fifteen litres is for paper, not a hedge. The Best House at £10.99 is the only 15 litre title, 4.2 from 182 reviews. A bucket of dry twigs fits. A weekend’s prunings do not. The everyday clear-up is the 90 litre titles: the Trendi at £16.40, 4.4 from 3,226 reviews, the Fastcar at £17.85 with a chimney lid, and the Trendi bundle at £17.66 with a shovel. Use more than one burn if the pile is large. The 210 litre job is two KetoPlastics drums: £34.95 at 97 × 60 × 100 cm, and £37.99 at 57 × 57 × 97 cm. A drum near a metre wide may not fit a side gate.

Where the litre line is not the only line

On the Trendi, the title says 90 litres and the technical line says 70 litres, with 45 × 45 × 70 cm. Tape the centimetres. The Best House title says 15 litres and 46 cm by 26 cm, while the item line says 91 × 46 × 46 cm. The Fastcar says 90 litres, prints no dimensions, and lists 1 kg. The drums share 210 litres and not a footprint. The £37.99 material line says Wood. The title and the UK reviews describe drum steel. Quote the steel.
KetoPlastics KetoPlastics 210 L drum

Testsieger

KetoPlastics KetoPlastics 210 L drum
9.0/10about £34.95
View offer

What you can put in, and what you cannot

Dry prunings, dry leaves, paper and plain card are the load these bins are sold for. Defra says dry material smokes less. Green cuttings wait until they are dry, or they go in the council collection. Plastic-coated card stays out. Plastics, paint, rubber, treated wood and old decking stay out, because burning them pollutes or can harm health. GOV.UK says you must not burn household waste if it pollutes or harms health. Check a sitting pile with a pole, not a fork, for wildlife. A stainless pit or a Relaxdays barrel is the wrong tool for hedge cuttings.

A home bin is not a business exemption

A householder burning their own garden waste does not register a D7 exemption. That GOV.UK page is for a business burning its own untreated plant waste where it was produced. Trade waste is a different question. GOV.UK does not ban a domestic bonfire. Smoke across a road can be an offence under the Highways Act 1980, section 161A. In England and Wales, harmful or nuisance smoke can be a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 79(1)(b). A smoke control area is about chimney smoke. None of these bins is a Defra-exempt stove. Lighting is on how to light a garden incinerator. The job split is on how to choose a fire barrel.

Common questions

Is 15 litres enough for paper, or do I need 90?
Fifteen litres, the Best House bin at £10.99, is enough for paper and a few dry twigs. A border of prunings needs a 90 litre title, and you may still need more than one burn. The page also prints 46 cm by 26 cm and 91 × 46 × 46 cm, so check which parcel arrived.
Will a 210 litre drum fit through a side gate?
Only if the centimetres on the listing you bought are narrower than the gate. The £34.95 drum prints 97 × 60 × 100 cm. The £37.99 drum prints 57 × 57 × 97 cm. Both say 210 litres. A shared litre claim is not a shared footprint.
Why does one listing say 90 litres and another line say 70?
On the plain Trendi, the title says 90 litres and the technical line says 70 litres, with 45 × 45 × 70 cm. Use the centimetres as the size you can check. Treat 90 as a capacity claim the same page also prints as 70, not as a height.
Can I burn hedge cuttings, leaves and cardboard?
Dry hedge cuttings, dry leaves and plain cardboard or paper are the load these incinerators are for. Green cuttings and wet leaves smoke heavily, which is why Defra says to burn dry material. If the pile is still green, leave it to dry or use the council collection.
Can I burn old decking, painted wood or plastic pots?
No. Defra’s outdoor-burning note names plastics, paint, rubber, treated wood and old decking as materials not to burn. A plastic pot and preserved decking are in that group even if they came out of the garden. A dry pruning is not a reason to add the rest of the shed.
Do I need to register a home incinerator?
Not if you are a householder burning your own garden waste. The D7 exemption is for businesses burning their own untreated plant and wood waste where it was produced. Smoke across a road, or smoke that harms health, is still a council matter.

Related pages

Best fire barrel UK

Fire barrel

How to choose a fire barrel: three jobs, four bands

How to light a garden incinerator: bin, drum or pit

Fire barrel vs smokeless fire pit: which one to buy

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026.

  1. Garden bonfires: the rules (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. Smoke control areas: the rules (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Smoke control enforcement, England (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Nuisance smoke: how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Defra, outdoor burning (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 79 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Clean Air Act 1993, section 2 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. RSPCA bonfires (retrieved 21.10.2026)