Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management is asking people to follow the rules regarding fire lighting and the disposal of rubbish.
Group controller Craig Campbell-Smart says he is aware of an increasing number of complaints being made about residential rubbish fires in urban areas recently.
He says residential rubbish fires in urban areas are illegal so no one should be burning rubbish on an urban property.
"This is not acceptable behaviour at any time as rubbish fires cause smoke, odour, and can lead to longer-term adverse health effects."
There should be no need to burn rubbish, as rubbish collections are still taking place across the district, he says.
"In order to assist people with disposing of rubbish during Alert Level 4, all districts in Taranaki are currently collecting general waste on a weekly basis."
People should put their rubbish in the bin as normal, says Craig.
"Don't burn it, bin it. Or if it's recyclable, and you have the space available to store it safely until our recycling collections resume, then that's even better. Let's be sensible and get through COVID-19 by being considerate of our environment and those around us."
To report any rubbish fires in your neighbourhood contact your district council.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website