Wood Waste

Wood Waste is wood which is not virgin timber (that is, wood that has been used for any purpose) and associated residues such as off-cuts, shavings chippings and sawdust, either treated or not treated, is waste. They remain waste and subject to waste regulatory control until completely recovered. The overall size of the Wood Waste market in the UK is estimated to be around 4,500,000 tonnes.

Waste Wood - Source M W White

Market Overview

The overall size of the Wood Waste market in the UK is estimated to be between 4,500,000 tonnes and 5,000,000 tonnes, categorized into Grades A to D according to its level of contamination. Where virgin wood is mixed with waste wood such as fence posts, pallets, construction boarding or other waste, the mixed load is considered waste.

DEFRA figures accounted for 3,362,970 tonnes of wood waste in their most recent 2016 figures, the remaining tonnage being left in mixed waste streams. The separated wood waste is primarily used in animal bedding, as recycled wood panel board and in Biomass EfW. The use in Biomass EfW has increased rapidly over recent years from 1,630,000 tonnes in 2017 to around 2,000,000 tonnes in 2018. Whilst tonnage data is presently not available for 2019, if all capacity is delivered in Biomass EfW plants that are in operation (and ignoring those in development) the capacity would exceed 3,000,000 tonnes, dramatically changing the supply-demand characteristics of the market and sustainability and balance of the overall market.

In October 2024 the Wood Recyclers' Association reported annual statistics on wood waste for 2023 as follows:

• Arisings of wood waste that were broadly at c. 4.5 million tonnes
• Processed wood waste was at c. 4.4 million tonnes
• 2.8 million tonnes went to 'Chapter IV compliant biomass facilities' (Biomass EfW)
• Small scale Biomass EfW accounted for 90,000 tonnes per year
• 963,000 tonnes went to panel board manufacture
• 350,000 tonnes went to animal bedding
• Exports with imports netted off to 206,000 tonnes

Wood Waste Grades

Treated waste wood is wood that has been treated by being injected, impregnated, sprayed, infused (soaked) or surface coated with any organic or inorganic substances for the purposes of preserving or protecting it or for changing its appearance. Some of these treatments may not be obvious and visible. Surface coating includes varnishes and paints, glues and non-natural veneers.

Waste wood is categorized into 4 different types; Grade A-D. This is based on the quality of wood, the utilization of the wood, and type/amount of contaminants with Grade A being primarily clean wood off-cuts, Grades B and C representing increasing quantities of chipboard, MDF and laminated wood with wood off-cuts, and Grade D representing treated wood that is generally classified as Hazardous Waste (although at the present time this is not generally segregated for collection and treatment/disposal in the UK and is mixed with Grade B and C Wood Waste).

The EA Regulatory Position Statement (RPS 207) - 'Classifying wood waste from mixed waste wood sources' applies to all businesses who produce, transport, keep, process, control, use or dispose of waste wood. The RPS was updated on the 27 May 20 and was due to expire on 31 Jan 21 but is now being extended until end of July 2021. RPS 207 permits treated or mixed wood waste (including chipped waste wood and waste fines), which could be classified as hazardous or non-hazardous and has not been assesed and classified in line with the hazardous waste guidance to continue to be classified as non-hazardous. However, the waste wood must be destined for:

• an Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) Chapter IV compliant permitted incinerator or co-incinerator
• the manufacture of board

The RPS does not apply to waste wood that is known and is classified as hazardous such as:

• railway sleepers
• telegraph poles
• wood treated with creosote

which must continue to be segregated and consigned as Hazardous Waste.

The wood types listed below represent those categories used by local authorities for the wood they manage, primarily at HWRC sites, which do not correlate with the Grade A to D approach due to the way the data is collected through WasteDataFlow

Macro Tonnages

The most recent information published by DEFRA is summarized in the pie chart below, with 3,362,970 tonnes of wood generated in the UK in 2016 and is part of the broader tonnage summarized in UK Waste Tonnage:

Wood Waste
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Data Table
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF)	1,038
Mining and Quarrying (MQ)	1,818
Industrial (Ind)	554,660
Construction (Con)	664,644
Commercial (Com)	1,246,217
Household (HH)	894,592

Whilst the macro numbers show 3,362,970 tonnes the general view of several market commentators was that the total wood arising was between 4,500,000 and 5,700,000 tonnes in 2014/15 and this can be accounted for a the DEFRA data being unable to identify wood in the mixed waste streams - this wood then may or may not be pulled out at MRFs or other similar Treatment facilities to make this wood available for Recycling and Recovery.

Chipboard and MDF

Chipboard is a hard material made out of very small pieces of wood which have been pressed together. It is often used for making doors and furniture.

MDF is an abbreviation for medium-density fibreboard, it is a wood-substitute material used in interior decoration.

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 4000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator. ‌

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes	Reporting Year
Nottinghamshire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Timberpak Ltd	Cross Green Vale, Cross Green Ind Est, Leeds, West Yorkshire	Chipboard and mdf	9,188.99	Apr21 - Mar22
South Lanarkshire	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Not Available	Not Available	Chipboard and mdf	7,297.03	Jan21 - Dec21
Cheshire East	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	R Plevin & Sons Ltd	Cheshire Street, Mossley, Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire	Chipboard and mdf	6,065.50	Apr21 - Mar22

Composite Wood Materials

Wood composites include a range of different derivative wood products, all of which are created by binding the strands, fibers or boards of wood together. It is also referred to as man-made wood, manufactured board, engineered wood, or wood-plastic composite (WPC) when using wood fibers and thermoplastics. They are fixed using adhesives and are engineered to certain specifications, resulting in a material that can have diverse applications. ‌ Wood composites are usually made from the same hardwoods and softwoods used for timber, except when using scraps and wood waste, and are created by mixing ground wood particles with heated thermoplastic resin. Both virgin and recycled thermoplastics are used, with polyethylene-based products being the most common. Composite wood materials are used in a wide range of applications arising mainly from household, industrial and construction sources.

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 1000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes	Reporting Year
Cardiff County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Other/Exempt	JM ENVIROFUEL; JM ENVIROFUELBerth 31 Wimborne Road, Barry CF63 3DHEPR/AB3690CP	Composite wood materials	5,308.48	Apr21 - Mar22
Edinburgh, City of	Source segregated recyclate	Other Method	Not Available	Not Available	Composite wood materials	3,326.18	Jan21 - Dec21
Gwynedd Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Hadfield Wood Recyclers Ltd	Lumb Lane, Droylsden, Manchester	Composite wood materials	1,425.93	Apr21 - Mar22

Wood

Below is a list of local authorities that send more than 20000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes	Reporting Year
Greater Manchester WDA (MBC)	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Hadfield Wood Recyclers Ltd	Lumb Lane, Droylsden, Manchester	Wood	42,760.47	Apr21 - Mar22
Worcestershire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Dew Mr David & Dew Mr Jonathan	Unit 100, Blackpole Road, Blackpole Trading Estate, Worcester, Worcestershire	Wood	33,990.98	Apr21 - Mar22
Hampshire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Multiple destinations	Multiple	Wood	26,590.90	Apr21 - Mar22
Lancashire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Sita ( Lancashire ) Ltd	Clifton Marsh Landfill Site, Lytham Road, Clifton, Preston, Lancashire	Wood	22,299.41	Apr21 - Mar22

Wood for composting

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes	Reporting Year
Aberdeenshire	Mixed green and food waste	In vessel composting	Not Available	Not Available	Wood for composting	10,075.66	Jan21 - Dec21
Dorset Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd	Chapel Lane, Parley, Christchurch, Dorset	Wood for composting	6,425.22	Apr21 - Mar22
Dorset Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Mark Farwell Plant Hire Ltd	Dow End Farm, Bushes Road, Stourpaine, Blandford Forum, Dorset	Wood for composting	2,131.98	Apr21 - Mar22