How To... 'green up' your backyard barbeque

There are only a few weekends left to barbecue comfortably, so while you can, do what you can to "green up" your grill and make it less environmentally damaging.

Which grill's best for the environment? Propane, natural gas and electric grills generally are considered easier on the air than charcoal.

Use lighter-fluid alternatives. A charcoal chimney, available for $10-$20 at barbecue and home-supply stores, is a replacement for lighter fluid. Set it on the grill, roll up newspaper at the bottom and pour in charcoal. Light the newspaper.

Rethink your grilling supplies. Traditional charcoal briquettes contain wood scraps that normally would end up in a landfill; sawdust; coal; lime, used to create the white ash; binders made of wheat, corn or other plant starch; and borax to release briquettes from the mold. Instant-light briquettes contain all those, plus an accelerant. Tip: Let charcoal briquettes burn off accelerants before starting to cook.

Don't trash your ash. Once cold, charcoal ash, especially from lump charcoal, can be spread in a thin layer on lawns and shrubs as often as once a week. If you are throwing cold ash in the trash, put it in a plastic bag that can be tied shut and place that in the garbage can.

Warning: Kingsford, the leading charcoal briquette maker, recommends not disposing of its regular or instant-light briquette ash in the compost pile or using it as fertilizer.

-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram