Trying to avoid turning the gas or electric heat this winter? Fireplaces and wood burning stoves can be a more economical alternative, if you can get over the cost and emissions of burning all those trees. There’s also the hassle of starting a fire every time it gets a bit chilly and waiting with bated breath for the flames to heat up the room.

Enviro-Logs use 100 percent recycled waxed cardboard, like the kind typically used to transport fruits and vegetables to produce processors, grocery stores and restaurants, to manufacture its earth-friendly fire starter logs. They provide a distinctly green alternative to raw wood, producing a fraction of the harmful emissions and helping to reduce waste in the process.

 

 

Many conventional fire logs use petroleum-based paraffin as a fuel to help the log ignite instantly and remain burning for several hours (something a single wood log would never do). Enviro-Log does not add any petroleum to its firelogs to act as an accelerant. The food-grade wax that’s already on the cardboard boxes from which it is recycled helps the material catch fire.

When compared to firewood, Enviro-Log claims that its firelogs burn cleaner, emitting 30 percent less greenhouse gases, 80 percent less carbon dioxide and 86 percent less creosote, while also providing 50 percent more heat per pound. The ash from Enviro-Log Firelogs can even be used as fertilizer or potting soil.

These cleaner burning logs can be found in every major retailer in the U.S., including Family Dollar stores, so using them as an alternative takes no extra effort.