Skip to content Accesskeys Newsroom

Barbecues and outdoor heaters

Eating and drinking outdoors is hugely popular. There are ways you can protect the environment while you enjoy al fresco entertaining, for example by choosing charcoal made from sustainably produced wood and avoiding outdoor heaters.

Pull on a pullover

Wrapping up warm or going indoors when you get chilly is greener than using an outdoor heater. This is because the heaters, which are powered by gas or electricity, use a lot of energy.

Choose your charcoal carefully

When you choose fuel for your barbecue, try buying charcoal that comes from sustainably managed forests. Look for charcoal with a label proving it is made from sustainable wood.  

Avoid waste

Things you can do:

  • consider using ordinary plates, knives and forks at your barbecues instead of disposables
  • consider borrowing or buying a barbecue you can use again rather than a disposable one
  • recycle all the bottles, cans and packaging
  • ash from lumpwood charcoal is good for neutralising acid soil, so try using yours in the garden instead of throwing it away
  • Making the most of your barbecue - find out more from LoveFoodHateWasteNI

The wider issue

Only a small proportion of the charcoal used on our barbecues is made in the UK. Charcoal may be imported from as far as 12,000 miles away. Buying sustainably produced charcoal helps prevent deforestation and illegal logging.  

More useful links