Wood Waste
Overview
Waste wood 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[1].
Where virgin wood is mixed with waste wood such as fence posts, pallets, construction boarding or other waste, the mixed load is considered waste[1].
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[1].
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[1] 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.
The wood types listed later 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 [2] [3]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:
Whilst the macro numbers show 3,362,970 tonnes the general view of several market commentators [4] 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[5].
MDF is an abbreviation for medium-density fibreboard, it is a wood-substitute material used in interior decoration[6].
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | {{{date}}} |
| South Lanarkshire | Source segregated recyclate | Reprocessor - recycling (qu19) | Not Available | Not Available | Chipboard and mdf | 7,297.03 | {{{date}}} |
| 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 | {{{date}}} |
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[7]. 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[7].
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | {{{date}}} |
| Edinburgh, City of | Source segregated recyclate | Other Method | Not Available | Not Available | Composite wood materials | 3,326.18 | {{{date}}} |
| Gwynedd Council | Source segregated recyclate | Reprocessor - recycling (qu19) | Hadfield Wood Recyclers Ltd | Lumb Lane, Droylsden, Manchester | Composite wood materials | 1,425.93 | {{{date}}} |
Wood
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
Wood for composting
Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Environment Agency, 2017. Waste Wood Quick Guide 43_17 Issued 02/03/2017. London.
- ↑ Digest of Waste Resources 2018 reporting data from 2016
- ↑ UK Statistics on Waste 2019 updating some of the 2018 Digest with 2017 data
- ↑ , Wood Recycling Association website 4.5mt; Tolvik 2017 Report 5.0mt and Anthesis (Tolvik report reference unobtainable) 5.7mt
- ↑ Collins, 2019. Definition of chipboard. Collinsdictionary.com. [online] [Accessed 4 Dec. 2019].
- ↑ Collins, 2019b. Definition of MDF. Collinsdictionary.com. [online] [Accessed 4 Dec. 2019]
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Johnson, C. 2017. Wood Composite - The Alternative, Sustainable Solution to Timber. Build Abroad. [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019].