UK Retailers Could Face Limit on Sales of Wet Wood

Retailers could face restrictions on selling wet wood as a fuel for household heating, under plans announced by UK government this week (17 August) to tackle particulate air pollution. This is among the measures set out in a call for evidence, outlining further plans for legislation on the burning of solid fuels like wood and coal, following on from the launch of the government’s Clean Air Strategy this summer. According to Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, UK (DEFRA), the burning of wood and coal in the home is the largest single contributor to particulate matter pollution – and has been identified by the World Health Organization as the most damaging air pollutant. Domestic burning contributes 38% of particulate matter pollution, compared with 16% from industrial combustion and only 12% from road transport, it is claimed.
The consultation proposes a series of measures aimed at reducing particulate matter emissions from domestic fuel combustion, including restricting the sale of wet wood for domestic burning, applying sulphur standards and smoke emission limits to all solid fuels and phasing out the sale of traditional house coal. The government has said it will also ensure that “only the cleanest stoves” are available for sale by 2022.

Related links
-Air Quality News article in full here
–Consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood