Horizons consents monitoring industry team leader Pita Kinaston said burning waste was one of the biggest contributors to poor air quality during the summer months.
“Horizons runs a 24-hour pollution hotline which you can call any time to report environmental pollution.
“The most reports we receive are about offensive odour and smoke from outdoor fires. This is particularly the case in urban areas, as outdoor burning is most likely to annoy neighbours due to their close proximity.”
Barnett said particles that were too small to see did the most damage.
The particles measured at air quality monitoring sites in Taihape and Taumarunui were much smaller than a single strand of human hair.
“It’s so easy to ignore or not even be aware of when air quality is having a negative impact on us,” Barnett said.
“They can irritate our eyes, throat and lungs, and worsen allergies, asthma and respiratory infections. They’ve even been found to contribute to serious health conditions such as lung and heart disease.”
Kinaston said outdoor burning in urban areas was not necessary as anything able to be burned could instead be recycled or composted.
Barnett said there were plenty of behaviours people could change to avoid burning waste, helping to reduce the amount of damaging particles in the air.
“This summer, instead of burning your household waste, check what you can recycle or compost.
“It’s much better for the environment and your own health, and keeps materials in the usage cycle instead of reducing them to ash.“
People can check their local council’s website to find the nearest transfer station. These sites are equipped to handle waste safely, reducing the impacts on the environment and human health as much as possible.
National air quality regulations make it illegal to burn waste oil, rubber, vehicle components, treated or painted timber, agrichemical waste and PVC plastics.
Barnett said summer was a good time to think about how to heat homes more efficiently during winter.
“Home heating, specifically the burning of wood, is by far the most significant contributor to degrading air quality in winter.
“You can prepare your home in summer by getting your chimney swept while you’re not using it, and by sourcing and storing quality firewood so it has ample time to season.”
Firewood needed at least six months, ideally 12, to season so it burned well.
Barnett said buying fresh or green wood now was much cheaper than buying dry wood when it was needed during winter.
“Wood should be stacked loosely to allow for air to circulate, and then covered to protect from rain.”
Barnett said there had been an improvement in air quality across the region since Horizons’ reporting began.
“This tells us households in these areas could be shifting away from traditional methods of heating homes, like wood burners, toward more climate-friendly methods such as electric heat pumps, which is a positive step forward,” he said.
