We have just been running in the park at Chatsworth in Derbyshire. It is a glorious morning. The sky is cobalt. The clouds billow like steam. The air is warm. Coots and moorhens fight ferociously on the River Derwent . But as I scan the parkland, so beautifully laid out by Capability Brown in the 18th century I am dismayed to see a hideous rash of rectangular scorch marks. The solid wooden picnic tables also look as if they have been ‘torched’. The cause is all too apparent – the Party Disposable BBQ – sold by all leading supermarkets and DIY stores for less than a fiver.
Foil BBQ trays were strewn around the park with half finished bottles of carbonated drinks, crisp packets, empty beer cans and bottles. We talked to one of the groundsmen John Nixon. “After each warm evening we have to clear up these disposable BBQ’s. I think they should be banned” John uttered with thinly disguised annoyance.
I agreed with him and really struggled with coming face to face with the thoughtlessness and inconsiderate behaviour of the general public, manufacturers and retailers who buy, make and sell this environmentally damaging piece of kit.
Two years ago a fire blazed high up on Ilkley Moor for several days. Heavy, thick smoke sank into the valley while helicopters flew overhead to discharge loads of water on the flames. Residents choked, coughed and spluttered until the fire was extinguished. The cause of the fire – a disposable BBQ.
So in these days of heightened environmental awareness I wonder whether it is right to make, sell or buy these BBQ kits? Are they really worth the damage they cause? Should retailers like Salisbury’s and Tesco be allowed to sell such products?Could they be redesigned? Why aren’t they sold with a small stand which raises them from the ground to prevent this scorching or a fire proof mat?
I like picnics and the idea of cooking on the move is enthralling but there are alternatives. My top tip would be to ditch the disposible BBQ and opt for a ‘Pocket Rocket’. This is tiny collapsible stove which folds away into a container the size of a pencil case. It is fueled by a small propane gas canister. The beauty of the pocket rocket is its versatility. Yes you can cook sausages and burgers but so much more. You can sizzle a steak, cook a fish, boil a pan of water and throw in some pasta. The flame does not come in contact with the ground and it so does not cause any damage. There is no packaging to dispose of or discard.
So before you feel tempted to buy and use a disposable BBQ give some thought to whether this is really the best way to have a BBQ on the move.