Environment Canterbury’s approach to air quality this winter

This winter Environment Canterbury will be asking the community to help take responsibility for improving Christchurch winter air quality.

As well as encouraging people to change to cleaner forms of heating and to replace their burners once they are 15 years old, the focus will be on getting people with solid fuel burners to use them more efficiently so they are not adding pollution to winter air.

Environment Canterbury Director for Air Katherine Trought says “Many of the calls to the Pollution Hotline are about woodburners which are compliant as well as those which are non-compliant. So getting people to use their burner more efficiently and to help them think about what they are burning will improve the amount of PM10 coming from their chimney.

“We know that many people whose chimney smokes a lot are not actually aware that this is happening. We are asking everyone with a burner to go outside, check out their chimney and to take steps if it is smoking too much. It can be that simple.’’

Ms Trought says if people burn only dry, seasoned wood and don’t burn rubbish or treated wood in their burner, there is much less chance of their chimney being excessively smoky.

So far this year, Christchurch has had seven nights when levels of PM10 have exceeded the National Environmental Standards which are set by the Government and which reflect World Health Organisation guides for levels of PM10.

“We need a number of approaches to improving winter air quality if we are to reach the health-based target of three exceedances by 2016 and one exceedance by 2020,’’ says Ms Trought. “Smoke from home heating causes the majority of winter pollution in Canterbury urban areas so all chimneys make a difference – if everyone takes responsibility for what comes out of theirs, we go some way to addressing the problem.’’

If people see an excessively smoky chimney they can call the 24-hour Smoky Chimney Line on 08000 329 276. All calls are confidential.

“We know people are keen to help when they see a really smoky chimney, but often don’t know how to let their neighbour know there is an issue,’’ says Ms Trought. “We have made it easy for them as they can go to the website letscleartheair.co.nz where they find a printable flyer which they can drop in their neighbour’s letterbox. This lets the homeowner know their chimney is smoking too much and gives them five easy tips for dealing with the problem.’’

Teams of observers will be out in the evening in Christchurch from mid-June through the coldest part of winter looking for chimneys which are smoking too much. Environment Canterbury staff will try to get to all these homeowners and talk them through ways they can reduce their polluting emissions. They will also follow-up to ensure the problem is being addressed.

“Cleaning up the air is a community effort,’’ says Ms Trought. “We can all play a part by reducing the amount of smoke from our own chimneys and by helping our neighbours become aware there may be an issue.’’

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