UK – research highlights rapid growth in wood recycling

Research from WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) shows that wood recycling in the UK has increased by a massive 85 per cent since 1996, with more than 1,200,000 tonnes of wood waste being recycled in 2004 alone.



The research also shows that the end uses are evolving as the amount of recycled wood being used in the ‘‘added value‘‘ sector (bedding, mulches, surfaces etc.) has grown from five per cent in 2003 to 14 per cent in 2004.



The findings are part of an in-depth study into the UK‘‘s wood waste market entitled ‘‘Wood waste arisings and management‘‘. The survey collated and analysed data and reports relating to UK wood waste produced over the past decade. The aim being to establish trends in wood waste arisings and its management in order to forecast waste volumes in the future. The report shows the UK is now producing over 10.5 million tonnes of wood waste each year. Of this, 1,065,000 tonnes is municipal waste compared with 4,481,000 tonnes of commercial and industrial waste. Of the commercial and industrial wood waste, a significant proportion – up to 56 per cent – has been attributed to packaging; a quarter (25 per cent) arises from panel board manufacture, 12 per cent from furniture manufacture and 4 per cent from construction product manufacture.



The predominant recycling route for waste wood remains panel board manufacture, which took nearly one million tonnes of post consumer wood waste in 2003. However, nearly 200,000 tonnes went into horticultural surfaces and animal bedding in 2004; with over 200,000 tonnes combusted in small-scale boilers.



Although the quantities of wood waste that are recycled have increased in recent years, the overall volume of wood waste being produced is also growing and the report suggests an upward trend is likely to continue. This growth is attributed to the demands of the UK property market and an increase in the use of timber-framed houses, window frames, decking and flooring