WOOD RECYCLING FEATURE
Wood Recycling Association predict busy 2019 for waste wood market
WOOD recyclers and reprocessors are preparing for a busy 2019 as two major industry projects and many planned biomass plants near completion. Two of the biggest challenges to the industry in many years, such as Fire Prevention Plans (FPP) and Waste Wood Classifi cation, are due to be resolved within the next few months. The Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) said it is very close to becoming the fi rst material stream to publish sector specifi c guidance to help wood recyclers and reprocessors gain an FPP. At the same time, the EA is producing a list of acceptable alternative measures for operators who need to move beyond the standard guidance. Julia Turner, Executive Director of the WRA, said: “Crucially the Environment Agency has listened to our concerns over the guidance and has been willing to work with us to fi nd solutions.
for operators while achieving the EA’s main goals of
“These solutions are feasible
protecting the public and the environment.”
waste wood market faces other major change, with several large-scale IED WID compliant biomass plants due to enter commercial operations in the next 12 months, demanding in excess of an additional one million tonnes of waste wood biomass fuel per year.
The WRA estimates the UK produces approximately fi ve million tonnes of raw waste wood a year.
In addition, the WRA has also been working closely with the EA and other industry trade bodies to ensure waste wood is properly classifi ed at the front end of recycling, which is then processed for the appropriate end uses. This work is focused on identifying the scale of hazardous waste wood in the UK waste-wood stream. This is an on-going project but one which the WRA has been complimented on by the EA. Julia added: “It’s clear the percentage of hazardous wood in our waste stream is currently less than 0.1 per cent, although we accept this may increase slightly as a result of the work we are doing. “We will continue to work with colleagues to complete this project and look forward to sharing the result in due course.” Away from these two projects, the UK’s
A survey of its members last year showed demand for biomass fuel rose to 1.7 million tonnes in 2017 compared to 1.6 million during 2016. This increase was off set by a fall of approximately 300,000 tonnes in waste wood exports, which was just 300,000 tonnes in 2017, compared to 600,000 in 2016. Julia concluded: “These additional biomass plants are going to be a game- changer, generating suffi cient industrial and commercial demand to ensure the UK no longer has to landfi ll waste wood, which will be a real success. “Our prediction now is we are likely to become a net importer before very long if we are to feed the new biomass plants with the feedstock they will require. We therefore need a good Brexit deal to ensure this can happen smoothly.”
New wood venture pays dividends for metal mogul
A NEW wood recycling fi rm, which is part of Shildon-based Wanted Metal Recycling, has come about by default after the owner admitted he never thought he would get involved with the wood recycling sector. Wanted Wood Recycling Director, John Cumberland, 60, decided to branch out his experience with scrap metal into the wood sector after a nearby wood fi rm had to stop trading in April. John said: “It came about by default having had a wood recycling company operate from a nearby site for the last two and a half years and when they were required to leave last April, for various reasons, it stood empty.
site I decided to give it a go – it would’ve been rude not to.
“It stood idle for some four months and after a couple of companies were no longer interested in acquiring the
“I was left with two thirds of a four-acre site with all the relevant EA licences. So along with the assistance of Kevin Owens,
@SkipHireMag
a well-respected fi gure in the fuel industry, Wanted Wood Recycling was born.”
Investment
Obviously not being in this business before, John took advice from wood experts and went on a wood machinery “buying spree”, purchasing used but very good equipment. John added: “Having owned Fuchs grabs since my father’s fi rst rope 301 model back in the late 60s I decided on this marque and purchased a two-year-old 320. I also snapped up a low-hour, superbly maintained Doppstadt shredder, along with a like-new Finlay screener. “We already had an old but stunning Volvo L120 loading shovel that has been rebuilt, along with Liebherr scrap handling equipment.” John’s intentions are not to take any money out of the wood side of the company and to reinvest any profi ts in new equipment and grow organically. For John, there is little diff erence between wood to scrap metal. He believes it is just another commodity.
He added: “With wood – I’m not paying hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds per tonne for it. In fact, we get paid to take it and again when we sell it. “Our wood product is predominantly for use as biomass fuel and Wanted Wood Recycling supply a local power station.
Looking forward
“We’re currently producing 200 tonnes of recycled wood per week, but we’ve only been in operation just over a month. Our aim is to build up to 500-tonne per week going out of the gate.”
SHWM November, 2018 53
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