October 30, 2018
We are headed into the heating season, when Slovenia experiences an increase in PM10 particles, which sometimes even exceed the daily particle concentration limit. Although the annual particle levels remain below the permitted limits, excessive daily release is mostly attributed to the inadequate use of small household furnaces in wintertime.
The prohibition on burning wet wood has already been enacted by the Janez Janša government in 2013, with the Decree on discharges from small and medium-sized combustion plants, but a rather more detailed methodology and instructions from the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning have now been announced.
Before any fines are given, a chimney sweep first needs to detect significant problems with regard to the combusting appliance and then call for an environmental inspector to take a look at the furnace and the fuel being used. The prescribed fines for physical persons will vary between € 1200 and 4100 and from 4000 to 40 000 for companies that are caught burning logs which contain more than 24% water by mass.
The initial efforts, however, will not be aimed at punishment but rather at raising awareness of the importance of the proper use of dry wood. Wet logs can increase the harmful emissions by 20% compared to burning wood that is dry. Besides, properly dried logs can also save their users up to 40% of their annual bio fuel expenditure, and thus their use is a win-win situation for all concerned.
