Autumn means shorter days and colder nights, and the cosiness of lighting our log burners.

As we stock up on marshmallows to toast, the Otago Regional Council reminds residents to keep the air as clear as possible, by only burning dry, untreated wood. 

Burning dry wood is more efficient as you’ll get more heat from each log of dry wood, warming your home faster. It also burns hotter, meaning less pollution from your chimney, and this is better for your health and our environment. 

“Everyone in your neighbourhood breathes what your household burns,” says ORC air scientist Sarah Harrison. "Burning prohibited items (under Otago Air Plan rules) such as plastic, treated wood or rubbish can release extremely toxic compounds into the atmosphere, negatively impacting both environmental and human health".

“The COVID-19 lockdown period has given many households the opportunity to declutter and tidy up the garden. But it’s important that people take any rubbish, green waste or timber from old decking or fences to the local refuse station as they reopen,” said Ms Harrison.

Find out more here.