Air Quality

​Wood Smoke Pollution

Smoke from wood heaters is a major cause of air pollution. Not only is a smoking fire wasting your money, but the air pollution it causes can also affect our health.

Wood smoke contains a number of noxious gases (including carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and a range of organic compounds, some of which are toxic or carcinogenic) and fine particles, which go deep into the lungs.

If you can see or smell smoke from your wood heater then you are causing a problem for yourself, your family and your neighbours.

Lithgow City Council residents are being asked to help improve winter air quality by checking they are using wood heaters correctly.

Lithgow City Council works in partnership with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to reduce the wood and coal smoke within the Lithgow Local Government Area. Some simple steps you can do to reduce wood smoke pollution are:

1. Don’t let your heater smoulder overnight – keep enough air in the fire to maintain a flame.
2. Burn only dry, aged hardwood in your wood heater. Unseasoned wood has lots of moisture, which causes a fire to smoke.
3. Store your wood under cover in a dry, ventilated area. Freshly cut wood needs to be stored for at least eight to twelve months.
4. Never burn rubbish, driftwood or painted or treated wood. These are sure to pollute the air and can produce poisonous gases.
5. When lighting a cold heater, use plenty of dry kindling to establish a good fire quickly.
6. Use several small logs rather than one large log and stack them loosely in your heater, so air can circulate around them. Don’t cram the firebox full.
7. Keep the flame lively and bright. Your fire should only smoke when you first light it and when you add extra fuel. Open the air controls fully for 5 minutes before and 15 to 20 minutes after reloading the heater.
8. Check your chimney regularly to see how well your fire is burning. If there is smoke coming from the chimney, increase the air supply to your fire.
9. Have the chimney cleaned every year to prevent creosote build-up.
10. If you are buying a wood heater, make sure it has a compliance plate showing it meets the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 4013:1999).

It is the responsibility of all wood heater owners to follow these easy steps and minimise the harmful effects of smoke pollution on their neighbours and the environment. Lithgow City Council can issue smoke abatement notices under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. A smoke abatement notice requires that a householder ensure that excessive smoke is not emitted from the chimney. The notice gives 21 days for any necessary improvements, maintenance or repairs to be carried out.

For further information on wood or coal smoke, or to report a smoky chimney, please contact Council’s Environment Department on 02 6354 9999 or visit the link below.

NSW EPA Website – https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/air/reducing-wood-smoke-emissions