Nuisance from wood burning, smoke

When a wood-burning stove, pellet stove, or open fireplace is lit indoors, smoke is produced. That smoke contains harmful substances, including particulate matter. These harmful substances cause air pollution and can harm your health and the health of others around you.
The municipality of Voorschoten occasionally receives inquiries about nuisance caused by smoke from neighbors’ wood-burning stoves, open fireplaces, or fire pits. 

How does it work?

Smart Heating

Much of the pollution can be prevented by burning wood wisely and using only dry, unpainted wood. The weather also plays a role. When there is no wind, the smoke lingers in the air, with all the associated harmful health effects. Therefore, it’s best to burn wood when it’s windy.

There are a number of websites with tips on how to go about this and how to heat your home efficiently.

A step-by-step guide on what to do in case of odor and smoke nuisances is available on Milieucentraal at .

You can also find tips on smart wood burning on Houtstook: the Burning Guide and the Burning Alert | Information Point for the Environment (iplo.nl). On this website, you can check whether burning wood at your location is advisable based on current air quality and wind speed.

What should I do?

Are you bothered by wood burning? Talk it over with each other. Use the tips on this page! Not everyone realizes that a cozy fireplace or wood stove leads to the emission of harmful substances—and that these are bad for the health of both the surrounding area and the homeowner. So always try to work it out together.

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