Footloose - To Burnt or not to Burn (September 2007)

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Back earlier this year in the St Arnaud (central Victoria) Magistrate’s Court a person was convicted and fined $15,000 for burning toilet paper. By all accounts the small fire escaped and started a local bush fire.

Now I’m not sure how much effort went into clearing the area around where the dunny was set-up, or if any effort was made at all, or of even fighting the fire when it ‘escaped’. However, I’d have to say that you got to try pretty hard to allow a piece of flaming toilet paper to escalate into a full fledged forest fire without noticing it before it got so big that it was a real bushfire. Could you actually do that?

Well, be that as it may, the results of this court case are pretty clear, I guess - you can get done for burning your toilet paper!
And, I don’t agree with this at all!

Both the National and the Victorian State 4WD associations have a policy on what is the correct method for … well, let’s put it bluntly … for having a crap in the scrub. From the ANFWDC website these are the simple guidelines:

In sensitive areas use toilet facilities provided or carry and use a portable chemical type toilet.

If no facilities exist at your campsite select a toilet site well away from the camping area and watercourses.

Always carry a shovel/spade and dig a hole deep enough to allow at least 150mm of earth cover when replaced.

For fire safety reasons do not burn toilet paper.

If using disposable nappies always carry soiled nappies out to a proper waste facility - do not bury disposable nappies or dispose of them in a campfire.

If you do find scattered waste at a campsite take the time to dispose of it properly so that everyone can enjoy the site free of waste.

Once again they sound pretty basic and easy, but again the point on not burning toilet paper gets a mention. And I still don’t agree with it!

Of course, there are the regulations that govern the lighting of fires in all states of Australia. In Victoria, the Forest Act prohibits the lighting of fire in forests and parks between 1st November and 30th April each year. Regulation 13 permits people to light a fire for cooking purposes (except on fire ban days and in special fuel stove area’s) in an approved fire-place or in a properly dug fire pit. Other states have similar regulations although the dates and the finer details may change a little and it is beholden on all of us to know what those regs and laws say. The fines are pretty stiff.

But back to burning dunny paper!

I first got into this habit while paddling a canoe down the Zambezi in Africa. Our guide insisted we do just that and I thought it was a pretty good idea, so started disposing off the dunny paper that way when out in the bush in Oz. I know a lot of others who do the same.
The reason is pretty simple. Dunny paper takes a lot to break down when left lying around and even buried is liable to be dug up by a number of animals looking for a tasty morsel, gross as that thought may be!

And how many times have you dug a hole 150mm deep – in many areas that is impossible, while carrying a portable chemical toilet in the back of your vehicle is also pretty impractical.

So burning the dunny paper is a quick and effective way to solve a nasty problem. You just got to do it with a bit of common bloody sense! Surely that’s not so difficult?

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