If you are building in an area prone to bushfires, there are a number of safety tips you need to keep in mind. This article reviews some safe tips for dealing with rubbish in these risky areas. Here's what to keep in mind:

1. Don't leave piles of debris around the building site.

Whether you have branches or leaves from clearing the site, grass clippings, or off cuts and packaging from building supplies, make sure not to leave it in piles around the work site. In some parts of the world, experts estimate that nearly half of wildfires are caused by yard debris igniting. When this trash is in flames, the wind may pick up pieces of it, quickly spreading the burning throughout the area.

2. Use metal rubbish bins.

To reduce the risk of fire, make sure that you put all of your building debris and cleared vegetation into metal rubbish bins. At the end of every day, close the lid on the bin. That way, if a fire ignites within the bin for any reason, the fire is more likely to be contained and not spread to nearby areas. Conversely, if a brush fire ignites nearby, it's less likely to set a metal bin on fire than a pile of debris or a canvas rubbish bin.

3. Don't throw combustible chemicals into the rubbish.

The ideal situation, of course, is to reduce the risk that a fire may start in your rubbish bin. To minimise that risk, don't throw combustible solutions into your bin. This includes but is not limited to solvents, thinners, cleaners, adhesives and paints. Instead, bag up these items separately and drive them off the building site at the end of each work day. Talk with your rubbish company about where to find a recycling centre for these items.

4. Designate smoking areas for workers.

On a building site, it's almost impossible to keep every single combustible material out of your rubbish bin. For example, if you throw away an old piece of wood with some solvent on it and someone throws a still lit cigarette into the bin, you risk flames, especially if there's a pile of sawdust in there waiting to alight. To eliminate this risk, have separate smoking areas for your staff, and have them throw the butts into a designated metal container. Don't throw the bin of butts into the skip into you are sure that there are no burning embers.  

5. Arrange pickups more regularly.

Finally, to reduce any risks of your rubbish catching fire which may spread into the bush surrounding you, schedule more frequent rubbish pickups. Talk with your bin hire company about which schedule works the best for your building site based on its location and risk of fires.

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