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Better for your health, wallet and the environment

Do you burn at home with a log burner, stove or an open fire?

Did you know it causes harmful air pollution inside and outside the home?

This winter, spare a few minutes to find out the facts and how you can burn better.

    • All wood or solid fuel burning pollutes the air we breathe, even the cleanest eco-stoves.
    • Greater Manchester has Smoke Control Areas, with rules to follow.
    • Burning at home has hidden costs.

If you can, say no to burning at home and do your bit to help clean up our air.

But if you do have to burn at home this winter – burn better, follow the rules, and keep us all safe.

Picture of a woman getting her breathing checked by a medical professional.

Look after yourself and others

Log burners might seem cosy, but many people aren’t aware of the health risks of burning at home.

Stove and fire smoke contains tiny particles known as particulate matter (PM2.5). These tiny particles can get into your lungs and bloodstream and damage your health.

Burning solid fuels can also cause air pollution inside and outside the home. So it can affect you, your family and your neighbours.

    • It’s linked to breathing difficulties, such as asthma. Long term exposure can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and stroke.
    • Pollution affects us all, at any age. It affects children, older people and people with health conditions more.
    • Tiny particles (PM2.5) are harmful to your health as they can affect every organ.
Picture of a lit log burner.

Top tips to burn better and safer

Not burning at home – or reducing your burning is best. But if you do burn, some small changes can make a big difference. You’ll get a hotter, cleaner burn – and likely save money.

  • Use the right, clean fuels. Small logs of dry, untreated wood and smokeless coal fuels are best. Look out for the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo.
  • Check your wood is ok to burn. Only burn seasoned, dry wood. Pick up a moisture meter to see if your wood is ready to burn. It should have 20% or less moisture content.
  • Keep it clean (and look after it). Clean your stove and get it serviced regularly. Get your chimney swept each year.
  • Find out how your appliance works. All stoves are different. Make sure you know how to use your appliance in line with the manufacturer and installer’s guide to get the most out of it.
  • Don’t burn rubbish or general waste. Some things really should not be burnt, indoors or outdoors. This includes items such as painted wood, plastics, rubber and rubbish.
Click here to find out more about burning better

GET IT UNDER CONTROL: SMOKE CONTROL AREAS

Did you know that most of Greater Manchester is covered by Smoke Control Areas?

There are rules in place to keep us safe and reduce harmful air pollution.

Breaking them comes with health risks and could mean a financial penalty.

Find out more

BURNING AT HOME MYTHBUSTING

There can be a lot of confusion around burning at home. Click below to find out the truth.

It’s not always cheaper to burn at home
An open fire doesn’t give off more heat
The health risks can be serious
Burning at home doesn’t pollute my neighbourhood

Affordable and green ways to keep your home warm

Worried about fuel bills? Lately people have had to make difficult choices about how to heat their homes.

Here’s some pointers for better ways to keep your home warm:

USEFUL INFORMATION

Learn more about Smoke Control Area rules

Find out more

Find out how to burn better and safer

Find out more

Tell us what you think about burning at home

Find out more

Take action…

To make a big change, we must all take small actions. Becoming greener and making an impact is easier than you might think. We have put together a range of blogs, articles, toolkits and checklists to help you make a start.

Explore resources

Although we set out with a simple mission to reduce plastic waste, we’ve quickly realised that it’s just one piece in the sustainability puzzle. One of the biggest, but most easily attainable actions we can achieve is to look at where our goods come from and reduce the carbon footprint needed to get a product from manufacturer to consumer. Many of the products we stock are made by local, independent manufactures, who provide us with a wide range of things from reusable face wipes, wax food wraps, face coverings, soap bars, plant pots, kitchen cloths/sponges and butty bags.

Carl from Lentils and Lather

Our aim is to start changing the habits of families in Greater Manchester by getting them to ‘borrow’ rather than ‘buy’ brand new toys. We’re making sure that toys can be reused again and again by children who need and want them – and they are not just sitting in a cupboard or under someone’s bed.

Kim from That Toy Thing

The best part of upcycling is that old furniture is often better made than the equivalent flat-packed furniture we get today and with a little bit of time, love and care, you can create a completely unique piece of furniture for your home that no one else will have. I also love that these pieces of furniture have a history of their own and through transforming and updating them we can breathe a new lease of life into them.

Hannah from Tread Softly

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is providing a further boost to the ambitions of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership to create a thriving, inspirational and connected landscape. It supports the recovery of wildlife through habitat creation and improvement as well as community recovery through providing opportunities for local people to develop skills, knowledge and beneficial connections to their local natural environment.

Jo Kennedy, Coordinator of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership

The reason I signed up to the Green Homes Grant scheme was two-fold, selfishly the measures will add value to the properties and make them more valuable in the future. But more importantly it benefits the tenants, keeping them warmer and prevents problems like damp and condensation. Ultimately measures like external wall insulations should keep tenants happier and ensure they remain in the house for longer.

Neil, Rochdale property owner

We used to think we didn’t have enough time to shop on our local market because we were working; how wrong we were?  We discovered it is an amazing place to shop for plastic free. We swapped tea bags for tea leaves and coffee jars for beans which we buy from The Market Grounds on Ashton Market – well worth a visit as the homemade cakes are delicious. All the stall holders have been amazing, not one of them minds us taking our containers to be filled with meat from the butchers. We get our bread, cheese, fruit and veg from the market too.

Julie from Ashton-under-Lyne

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

Although becoming carbon neutral is important to our organisation, it’s a lot of work for a small team to put the measures into place. The Journey to Net Zero course has given me practical, step-by-step advice that has made it easy for me to lay the foundations for our organisation to be able to take action and achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral.

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

Kat Mulhall, Events Manager at Victoria Baths Trust in Manchester

The Business Growth Hub has given us focus and extra knowledge. They’ve helped us form the base to grow sustainably and work efficiently as a team while making us conscious of our environmental impact as a business.

 

Ollie Birchall, Founder of Nutri Bar

I’ve not really been a cyclist throughout my life, more of a runner to be honest. And certainly not commuted. But I just thought if I’m going to change, surely now is the moment to change. I’m feeling the personal benefits of doing it. You just feel better when you come into work. It clears your head. There are benefits of cutting congestion, cleaning up the air. Everyone benefits when people cycle.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

We think our water fountain is INCREDIBLE, it’s the perfect place for people to ‘refill’ and help themselves to any of the free edibles we’ve got growing in Market Place. We’re so grateful to all the organisations that helped make this happen. Alongside the plastic free motion that was passed by council and helped us achieve our first Surfers Against Sewage objective and in turn our Plastic Free Community status, it shows real commitment in reducing plastic waste and supporting our community.

 

Pete Fillery, Plastic Free Rammy and Incredible Edible Ramsbottom

I guess I’ve always been what you would call a conscious consumer. I’ve always detested plastic bags, all of my skin care products at home are plastic-free, vegan, and sustainable. My toothbrush is made of bamboo, there’s no plastic anywhere in the house. Everything in the salon has to be vegan – that was the first rule for me. We started with one brand of haircare products that was vegan, organic, and Fairtrade, but the distributor in the UK was wrapping all of the deliveries in plastic, and it felt really needless, so we ditched them.

 

Rachael, Gronn eco-salon in Bury

Although becoming carbon neutral is important to our organisation, it’s a lot of work for a small team to put the measures into place. The Journey to Net Zero course has given me practical, step-by-step advice that has made it easy for me to lay the foundations for our organisation to be able to take action and achieve our goal of becoming carbon neutral.

 

Kat Mulhall, Victoria Baths Trust, Manchester

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