The association is encouraging all organisations that generate or handle waste wood to remove contaminants and ensure that material meets the specification required by end markets, or risk that they cannot be recycled.
Mark Hayton, Chair of the WRA, explained: “Over the past year market conditions have made it more challenging to find markets for waste wood.
“As a result, quality has become more important than ever with more offtake options for those producing a contaminant-free product which meets the necessary specifications of different end markets.”
Operators ‘must remove MDF’
In particular the WRA urged that operators “must remove MDF” (medium-density fibreboard).
The panel board sector – the UK’s largest recycler of waste wood – is unable to process MDF due to the operational challenges it presents.
MDF contamination can lead to blockages in processing machinery, resulting in costly downtime for manufacturers.
As a result, loads containing MDF are often rejected, limiting recycling opportunities and placing additional pressure on other outlets such as biomass.
Hayton added: “In the panel board sector in particular, downtime is often caused by MDF, which can create blockages in machinery.
“Manufacturers could use more waste wood overall if they received MDF-free feedstock.”
While the WRA acknowledged that separating MDF may not be feasible at every site due to logistical constraints, it maintains that where segregation is possible it can significantly improve both recycling potential and environmental outcomes.
The association added that better segregation practices allow waste producers to work with multiple outlets, reducing reliance on a single processor or energy recovery route.
Continued challenges for wood
The wood market has continued to face challenging conditions this year.
There has been a reduced outlet for wood due to high volume of material in circulation and offline plants.
As a result, many operators are having to manage excess material with fewer disposal or processing options available.
Hayton said: “If waste producers want to maximise recycling potential and help the environment, they need to keep wood suitable for recycling separate from other material.
“Focusing on quality and segregation gives producers the widest possible choice of outlets and helps protect against future market volatility.”
Find out more information about the waste wood market in our April market report.
Register for free to comment