Wood burning stoves: more polluting than a Waste to Energy plant?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussion around the problems surrounding domestic wood burning stoves; compounded by the UK Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022 that states wood burning stoves as a key source of harmful PM pollution.

At the same time, there remains a lot of push back from the UK public around Waste to Energy plants - specifically the makeup of the emissions released via the stack - with many stating that WtE emissions are harmful to the environment.

So, are wood burning stoves more polluting than a Waste to Energy plant?

Legislation and restrictions

Due to the complex and technical nature of the processes, sometimes hazardous wastes involved and health & safety requirements, including a consideration for working within confined spaces, Energy from Waste can be subject to a number of restrictions and legislations, such as:

• Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations 2002 (DSEAR)

• Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000

• Confined Spaces Regulations 1997

• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 also deals with waste disposal; making provision for the improved control of pollution to the air, water and land by regulating the management of waste and the control of emissions.

R1 Status - of note is the requirement of R1 Status where Energy from Waste plants processing municipal solid waste can be classified as Recovery (R1) only, where their energy efficiency is equal to or above either 0.60 - if installed and in operation 1st January 2009 - or 0.65 - if installed after 31st December 2008.

To qualify as an R1, Energy from Waste plants must:

• Have (or will have) an environmental permit for waste incineration installation

• Be capable of incinerating mixed municipal solid waste, including refuse derived fuel or solid recovered fuel

• Not be a co-incinerator

When it comes to wood burning stoves, however, there aren’t many restrictions or requirements in place; indeed, it wasn’t until May 2021 that wet wood and coal were banned from sale, but only in England specifically, and EcoDesign standards for newly sold wood burning stoves wasn’t introduced until January 2022. Within this, where older stoves have been banned from UK sale, there doesn’t seem to be anything in place for those households still using older stoves, purchased before 2022.

The issue with wood burning stoves

Recent years have seen the use of wood burning stoves increase - both due to rising price of gas and recent aesthetic trends - and, as such, discussions surrounding their impact on the environment have intensified; research showing that new wood burning stoves manufactured after January 2022, and that have to meet EcoDesign standards are 450x more toxic than gas central heating. Alongside this, ‘old’ wood burning stoves that are now banned from UK sale are 3,700x more toxic!

And, although wood burning stoves have previously been viewed as harmless to the environment, due to their natural energy source - i.e. wood - wood burning stoves emit Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrogen Oxide into the air; DEFRA’s Clean Air Strategy (2022) stating that wood burning stoves were, last year, the biggest source of PM pollution in the UK - accounting for 38% of our air pollution.

What’s more, wood-based domestic appliances such as wood burning stoves makeup 48% of UK & EU health costs - costing €13 billion a year in health-related costs.

So concerned has the UK been with pollution derived from wood burning stoves that, not only have new EcoDesign standards been introduced since early 2022 and old stoves banned from sale but, since May 2021, wet wood and coal have also been banned from sale in England.

Wood burners banned in London

London is a ‘smokeless city’ and, because of this, as of February 2023, wood burning stoves are banned in new and refurbished homes, and only government-approved wood burners (‘eco-stoves’), are allowed with only dry kiln-dried logs, where rule-breakers can face fines of up to £1,000.

Waste to Energy plants - what’s coming out of the stack?

For many in the UK, the construction of Waste to Energy plants cause a number of concerns for local residents; many of these concerns centred around what comes out of the stack which can often be wrongly viewed as harmful and polluting, not least of all due to the implications of the ‘incinerator’; often thought to emit harmful gases into the atmosphere via the stack.

However, during the process of converting waste to energy, the gases from the process of combustion are filtered and ‘scrubbed’ to rid them of potentially harmful elements before being released via the stack into the atmosphere; meaning that, what actually exits the plant via the stack is essentially just steam.

What’s more, this is routinely monitored to ensure it falls within expected standards.

As such, when it comes to the question of whether wood burning stoves are more polluting than a Waste to Energy plant, the following must be considered:

Waste to Energy takes non-recyclable waste and turns it into heating & electricity for our homes and businesses, decreasing overall reliance on landfill. What’s more, any potentially harmful toxins are scrubbed from the gases before they are released and these plants are subject to strict limitations, restrictions and required permits/licences, set by organisations such as the Environment Agency, meaning that the byproduct of WtE is exceptionally clean.

In contrast, there is more & more evidence becoming available to suggest that, not only do wood burning stoves have a huge negative impact on our environment, but also on our health due to the emission of toxic PM pollution, so much so that big cities such as London have banned them and the sale of burners has been restricted within the last year.

Are wood burning stoves more polluting than a Waste to Energy plant? The evidence says… Yes, they are.