Can I burn garden waste in Denmark?
In town no — garden waste may not be burned in urban zones or summerhouse areas. It goes to compost, the garden-waste scheme or the recycling site. In rural zones the picture is municipal: some allow burning clean, dry garden waste in the winter half-year (typically 1 December–1 March, small amounts, distance requirements), while ever more have total bans — check your municipal waste regulation. The year has one folk exception: the Sankt Hans bonfire may contain garden waste. And regardless of zone, drought-time fire bans trump every permission.
📋 The rules
- Urban + summerhouse zones: burning banned
- Rural zones: municipally decided — often winter-only, small amounts
- Alternatives: compost, garden-waste collection, recycling sites
- Midsummer Eve: the exception — bonfires with garden waste legal
- Drought fire bans override all permissions
🔓 Exceptions
- The Sankt Hans bonfire on 23 June (see its own article)
- Agriculture/forestry: separate rules for straw and brushwood
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Illegal burning: fines under environmental/waste rules; smoke nuisance invites neighbour complaints to the municipality, and liability follows any fire spread. Repeats raise the fines.
📎 Official sources
- Borger.dk · Private burning (DA) →
- Tellus Advokater · Garden-waste burning is banned (DA) →
- Odense Municipality · Burning rules (DA) →
❓ Frequently asked
May I burn branches in my suburban garden?
No — residential neighbourhoods sit in urban zones where garden-waste burning is banned; use the recycling site or compost.
What applies in the countryside?
The municipal waste regulation decides — typically clean, dry waste in the winter half-year with distance rules; many municipalities ban it entirely.
May I burn clean wood in a fire bowl?
Yes — cosy fires with clean, dry firewood are legal (outside drought bans); garden waste in the bowl is still waste burning.
And Sankt Hans?
The exception: the midsummer bonfire may contain garden waste — wind rules and fire bans still apply.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “burning garden waste denmark”
- “burn branches denmark rules”
- “fire bowl garden denmark”
- “waste burning ban denmark”
- “rural burning rules denmark”