[Remy]

Hi,
Just had a BBQ tonight & I was wondering what to do with the left over ashes.
Is it a good thing to put it in the composting bin or scatered over the plot?
Just wanted to know if they could be of use in the garden before I chucked them away.

[mumofstig]

Did you just light wood/charcoal with paper or use some sort of starter?

[Yorkie]

Assuming it's charcoal briquettes with meat fats on it, I would personally not use it as I don't know whether it was treated with any chemicals, and there may be a possibility of the meat fats attracting vermin.

Others may have different experiences though

[oldbean]

Just sprinkle it on the garden. There's no point in putting on the compost heap , and any fats, lighters or other chemicals, would have been decomposed and burnt long since.

[JimS]

I must admit, I always throw mine on the flowerbeds. Hasn't seemed to do any harm and I've been doing that at least 3 times a week in summer (sometimes more), over the last 20 years or so. It's only ash and any fats or food residue will quickly be broken down in the soil, by bugs and such.

It's only if you are throwing away bones and stuff, that you will attract any vermin.

The only thing I would add, is not to lay it on in a thick layer, spread it out a bit as, when it gets wet, it can dry into a clay-like layer, obviously, not much good for your soil then..

[hindy]

I must admit, I always throw mine on the flowerbeds. Hasn't seemed to do any harm and I've been doing that at least 3 times a week in summer (sometimes more), over the last 20 years or so.

   Wow. you eat a lot of BBQ's Jim

[Remy]

Thanks I'll sprinkle it over the garden then

[JimS]

  Wow. you eat a lot of BBQ's Jim

Probably comes of being a south african, it's a way of life. 

[Dominic]

I left it over night to cool ( was far too drunk to remember anything else ), tipped it over in the morning hose piped it clean and left the charcoal where it fell, along with a nuked burger and half nuked sausage.
Oddly, they're now gone.