It is estimated that 50 million cubic metres of wood are used in the UK every year. Almost half of these goes into paper making but two thirds of the wood is imported. Whilst wood is a sustainable resource, wood recycling still has a positive environmental impact. Wood recycling ensures that the waste does not end up in landfill site where, as it is biodegradable, it produces greenhouse gases.
Household waste wood is usually from DIY projects or in the form of furniture. Business waste, on the other hand, mainly consists of packaging such as wooden crates and it is estimated that UK businesses produce about 2 million tonnes of wood waste each year. If you are a business with wood waste your local authority may offer a waste collection and wood recycling service. As a householder your local authority recycling centre may accept wood.
The reuse of wood should be the first option as this uses the least energy. You could sell you second hand furniture or put it forward for a furniture reuse project. In this case good quality used furniture is provided to people on low incomes. Take a look at the Furniture Reuse Network website – www.frn.org.uk – to find your nearest project.
If wood can’t be reused in some way, wood recycling can make the waste into a variety of products such as mulch, pet bedding, equestrian surfacing, chipboard or fuel. Wood recycling means that virgin wood is not required which uses more energy and water, less renewable resources than the wood itself. Don’t forget that you can also buy products made from recycled wood, which reduces the need for virgin wood.
If you would like to find your local wood recycling centre or to search for recycled wood products visit Recycle Wood www.recyclewood.org.uk
For further information on Recycling click on the links below
