WOOD RECYCLING
"If you stop and think about it, used animal bedding in most cases ends up either spread on the land or being used in biomass plants eventually, so sending Grade A wood in the first instance to become animal bedding is actually giving it an extra use."
Making the grade
So how exactly is waste wood classified? What sort of wood qualifies as Grade A, and what makes wood lower grade?
Currently the WRA produces a guide to wood classification which sets the standard that the industry works to. However, the Environment Agency (EA) has come to require all waste wood to be classified at the front end, which has become known as the Waste Wood Classification Project (WWC).
The WRA are spearheading the WWC to produce a simple-to-follow visual guide which should be clear for everyone at every step of the supply chain and ensure waste is being classified appropriately right from the start, whether it comes from household, industrial, agricultural or construction/demolition sources.
“This project was very much about getting clarity for everyone and also understanding where waste wood comes from and how it can therefore most appropriately be used,” explained Vicki, who is also on the WRA technical committee.
“The WWC project began in the autumn of 2017 with collection of desk-based research on likely treatments applied to waste wood items and whether they were likely to be hazardous or not,” added Julia. “This showed that only two items of household waste were of concern – decking and fence posts – and for the construction/demolition sector, it was structural timbers, roof tiling battens and external joinery from pre-2007 buildings where more evidence was required. Large scale sampling and laboratory testing of these items started earlier this year.
“The project is now over halfway through the sampling/testing process
and, once the results of this are known, the project team will develop two sets of guidance for operators: one by the WRA for the waste wood industry and one produced by the National Federation of Demolition Contractors for the demolition sector.”
The project is currently due to finish in July 2020.
“People have a duty of care when producing waste,” added Mark Hayton, director of Timberpak Ltd. “Whether you are a household or a business, you have a duty of care with your waste to make sure it is used sensibly, legally and responsibly.
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