Community Health

Backyard Burning

Do not burn anything on your property unless you are on at least 2000 square metres (sqm) property size. If you are over 2000sqm, you still are unable to burn anything that may cause a smoke nuisance eg. painted wood, green vegetation, treated wood, plastics, tyres etc.

Backyard burning doesn’t include Forestry burning or fuel hazard reduction burns undertaken by government agencies.

For those properties greater than 2000 sqm, you can minimise smoke nuisance by the following:

• Don't burn leaves or green or damp wood.
• Do not burn treated wood.
• Ensure your wood has been stored in a dry, aerated area, off the ground and sheltered from the rain for at least 6 months. Stack the wood in a way that lets air flow through the wood pile, on top of a pallet and do not cover with a tarp as this will trap moisture.
  
• start the fire using small kindling and do not load the fire with large logs until the fire is burning well, or you will smother the fire and create smoke.
• locate your fire away from your property boundary.
• if you are having trouble avoiding smoke, consider whether your fire needs more air in the base or sides to encourage the drawing of oxygen through the fire.
• use a multipurpose, smokeless fuel.

You can dispose of garden waste:

• at a Council Transfer Station; or
• use as compost in your garden beds.

Wood-Fired Heaters

Smoke from wood fired heaters may also cause a smoke nuisance. It is an offence if smoke is continuously visible for a period greater than 10 minutes. During this 10 minute period, the smoke must be continuously visible for at least 30 seconds at a distance greater then 10 metres from the chimney.

Factsheet Rules for Wood Fired Heating and Cooking

Please note that Council may only be able to take legal action against offenders if there is sufficient evidence to issue a fine or prosecute.

Noise can disrupt sleep and interfere with people’s daily activities. If loud enough, it can also have a negative impact on people's health particularly when sleep is interrupted.

Noise is an unwanted sound that can come from many different sources in your neighbourhood like machinery and equipment.

Some impacts of noise nuisance include stress, annoyance, irritation and tiredness. The impact of noise varies with individuals.

For example, the use of a power tool / chainsaw may annoy you more than another person, so it is important to consider your own perception of sounds that annoy or disturb you. A simple solution could be closing a couple of windows nearest the noise and/or turning up some music/TV inside your house.

Most noise nuisance complaints received are from people using power tools etc. too early or late in the evening and starting devices too early on weekends.

The noise regulations deal with some noise impacts including day and time restrictions that may impact residents.

Please note noise from on-road vehicles and from loud music (after hours) please contact the Police.

NMC Factsheet Noise

Please note that Council may not be able to take legal action against offenders unless there is sufficient evidence to issue a fine or prosecute. The first step in evidence collection is for the complainant to complete a noise nuisance diary. This diary is only required when you are experiencing consistent noise nuisance in your neighbourhood.

As we live surrounded by rural activities such as animal and crop farming, there will be times when farmers routinely apply fertiliser to their paddocks. Odour from the spreading of manure will usually dissipate within a couple of days and it is recommended you close your doors and windows for the duration of the nuisance. Please note, farmers have existing land use rights ie. they were their first, with respect to conducting routine farming practices including the spreading of fertilizer.

If a dead animal is causing an odour nuisance, in the first instance please contact the farm direct and advise them of the location of the dead animal. If the farmer fails to remove the dead animal within 2 days, please contact Council.

If odour relates to a major industry, please contact the EPA on 1800 005 171.

Council investigates water pollution discharges to the stormwater system, kerbside drains, waterways, gullies, creeks etc. Examples include soil, sand, silt, mud, sewage, building waste, concrete, paint etc that is released either directly into or placed indirectly on land where it can be reasonably expected to wash, blow etc. into a stormwater system.

You can help to care for our waterways by:

• washing your car with care by keeping soap and suds out of the stormwater drain. Wash your car on the grass if possible not on your concrete driveway.
• picking up animal manure. Put your dog waste into a bin and make sure manure from horses, backyard chickens and other domestic animals can't run off into waterways or stormwater drains during heavy rain.
• keeping chemicals out of the drain by disposing at Council’s Transfer Stations.
• making sure your rubbish goes into your bin ie. don’t litter.
• putting garden waste to good use e.g. adding your grass clippings to your compost bin and then applying to your garden.
• using fertilisers and garden chemicals sparingly.

Below is a form to be filled in and completed.

Please note:

1. The council's business hours are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
2. Complaints are only considered for events that happen within these business hours.
3. Nuisances occurring outside of business hours are a police matter, not a council matter.
4. Providing correct and up to date contact details is a requirement for an investigation of the complaint. If contact details are not supplied, the complaint will not be investigated.
5. Barking or animal related noise complaints can be submitted here

Complaint Environmental Nuisance

Council has outsourced its school Immunisation program to the Northern Midlands Medical Centre who may be contacted on 6391 1170. To view the school immunisation schedule which lists the age of the child and type of vaccine recommended and provided through this free program please visit the following:

https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation/immunisation-throughout-life/national-immunisation-program-schedule#national-immunisation-program-schedule-from-1-july-2020

For a record of your child’s school immunisation please contact the Northern Midlands Medical Centre on 6391 1170 or the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register on Free call 1800 653 809.

A Place of Assembly licence is required for any event where the expected crowd is over 1000 people to attend for two hours or more.

Please click here to download an application form.

Before submitting this completed application you must have the following:

1. A Smoke-Free Management Plan (Refer to Department of Health and Human Services)

2. A Site Plan to identify the location of the following: marquees, jumping castles, temporary stands, food vans and stalls, hand wash stations, Covid Check-in locations and toilets.

Fees and Charges - Northern Midlands Council (nmc.tas.gov.au) then click on "Health".

You will require this licence if you intend to undertake any activity that involves a public health risk, including but not limited to:

• skin penetration procedures (for example acupuncture procedures, tattooing, body or ear piercing)
• any other activities which may result in the transmission of disease.

This licence applies to the operator of this type of business. A separate licence is required for the registration of the physical premises eg. house, shop where the activity will be conducted.

Application form Public Health Risk

Fees and Charges - Northern Midlands Council (nmc.tas.gov.au) then click on "Health".

Potable (drinking) water supplied by water carriers for domestic or commercial use must meet the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, that is, safe and suitable for human consumption.

The guideline includes recommended minimum standards of hygiene to ensure that water provided for human consumption complies with microbiological and chemical quality criteria of the National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.

This registration only covers water accessed from the regulated Agency and does not include cartage of privately owned water.

Fees and Charges - Northern Midlands Council (nmc.tas.gov.au) then click on "Health".

During Summer, Council is required to monitor water quality in nominated waterways to ensure they are safe for recreational use, such as swimming, canoeing, sailing and fishing.

This also includes the water quality at public swimming pools and at public spa pools.