Why? Because the steak isn’t the only thing that gets charred.
BURNING FACT
We fire up 60 million times a year in the UK. 1 typical charcoal grilling session emits as much CO2e as driving a car for 26 miles.
So lockdown is easing, the sun’s shining and it’s inevitable that BBQs will soon be beckoning. Who doesn’t love one? But they can cause heaps of environmental damage so before we rush out and stock up on the briquettes…
To set the scene, there are two main choices for BBQ fuel - Charcoal or Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG). Charcoal is made by heating wood to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. LPG is a fossil fuel. Counter intuitively all the the evidence comes firmly down on the side of LPG as the lesser of two evils. Here’s why:
Charcoal grills generate three times as much greenhouse emissions than gas.
Just three per cent of charcoal bought in the UK is 'sustainable'. Most is imported - from tropical countries which are facing huge deforestation issues as a result.
Burning charcoal, release clouds of particulate matter into the air - an especially harmful pollutant that worsens heart and lung disease, and causes lung cancer.
Standard briquettes are the antichrist. Containing lighter fluid, they are toxic as hell - both to the air, and potentially to your food!
The cleanest option by the way, is electric.
Ok, so how can we have a greener barbie?
We just get smart about it.
The equipment and fuel:
If you’re buying new, buy gas or electric if you can.
Whatever you do, don’t buy disposal BBQs - they’re not recyclable, covered in plastic and use the cheapest, most toxic charcoal….unless of course you choose this one! [Note - we haven’t tried it and some online reviews are mixed]
Cocoshell briquettes appear to be coming on the market. Made from discarded coconut shells, there’s no deforestation; burn for longer and are 100% natural
For any charcoal die-hards, try to buy charcoal produced in the UK such as British lumpwood charcoal made from sustainable sources, If this is not possible, absolutely make sure you buy charcoal certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Start your BBQ using twists of rolled-up newspaper or natural wood firelighters, avoiding the petrochemical ones like the plague.
On the day:
Get smart about plastic waste. Avoid any disposables. If you haven’t got enough plates, etc, ask your mates to bring some along, with a tupperware box to take any left-overs too. It will make them feel included and you don’t have to do the washing up!
Get smart about food waste. Raid your fridge for leftovers, pretty much anything tastes great on a barbie. Put out only the food you need and stagger out the rest.
Get smart about fuel waste. It’s easy to put a whole bag of charcoal on the fire, but if you’re only cooking for a few people it won’t be needed. Extinguish the coals by pouring water on them. Leave them to dry – you can reuse them next time you cook.
Right, pass us a veggie skewer please…
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Will it cost me more money
Quite likely. British lumpwood charcoal, for example, costs 4 x more. As we know though there’s always a reason for cheap. Cutting fuel, food and plastic waste might even it up.
We…
Aimee: I usually only BBQ a couple of times a year anyway and, when I do, I’ve never considered where the charcoal comes from and just grab an ignitable bag. So next time, I’ll give the cocoshells a try instead…!
Sonia: So this whole action was kicked off by my (lovely) neighbours lighting up a toxic barbie next door, and my weekend nap under the roses interrupted by a lighter-fuelled coughing fit. Haven’t yet worked out how to gen them up without being Preacher Lady. Ideas? They’re not on our mailing list.
“C’mon baby light my gas fire”
Photo: Dustin Tramel