Burning a small pile of letters/ photos

Submitted by DaisyDino53 t3_10m8wta in boston

Hey! I’m not sure what the legal rules are in Boston but I have a ton of photos and letters I’d like to throw in the flames. I was thinking about getting a burning bowl and doing it in the backyard. Would that be ok? Thanks!

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Hribunos t1_j61o6us wrote

There is no way to do this legally.

That said, do it in a barbeque grill. That way if anyone asks, you're just barbequeing.

But please give the grill a good scrub before you cook food on it again.

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Graflex01867 t1_j61rnl2 wrote

I second the barbecue grill idea.

I don't think fire pits are technically legal in Boston, but at the same time, I don't think anyone would really complain if you burned a few things. The grill would just be a safe/easy way, and on one would ask questions. It's got enough room to contain the ash from the paper and keep it from blowing around/lighting anything on fire.

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willzyx01 t1_j61so7d wrote

If you really want to burn, use a grill. Otherwise, shred.

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riski_click t1_j61t2tl wrote

turns out, most things are illegal if you ask about them, but if you've got a backyard and a burn bowl, its doubtful anyone will ever know.. Just don't do a google search for "Can I burn photos in the backyard" and "What is the punishment for burning photos and letters" and "can you recognize photos after they have been burned in a backyard" and you should be fine.

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metrowestern t1_j61u43m wrote

Go to the beach and dig a hole. Easy peasy.

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SootyOysterCatcher t1_j61wd82 wrote

Not Boston, but my neighbors in Quincy liked a good barrel fire. It was like their version of a fire pit. Nice house, yard, gazebo, and an oil drum they used for fires. One day they had one rip-roaring with like, 10ft flames. It was wild. The fire dept showed up, engine and chief. They politely approached and said, "yeah you can't do that here." The neighbors started to put it out and the brigade left before the fire was even extinguished.

All that to say: I don't know, but I'm pretty sure you could get away with it.

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tandemtuna t1_j61yqa3 wrote

Plan for forgiveness, not permission....

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ednamillion99 t1_j63pdbp wrote

Modern photos are essentially plastic & chemicals, so burning them isn’t great — be careful not to breathe in fumes, I’d also be leery of cooking food in/on a barbecue that you’d burned photos in unless you clean it really well.

You’re probably looking for the catharsis of burning these, but I had a bunch of cringey stuff that I wanted to get rid of and I found that feeding it page by page into a shredder was nearly as satisfying as burning it, and way less messy. Just a thought!

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