Speaking ahead of the publication of a revised regulatory position towards waste wood, the Agency confirmed that a quality protocol could not be agreed upon at present, due to varying standards in wood recovery (see letsrecycle.com story).
The industry needs to work together to agree common standards and quality controls
Martin Brocklehurst, EA
However, the Agency stressed that if industry worked together to get uniform standards across the board, a quality protocol for clean waste wood could be achieved.
In particular, the Technical Advisory Group which informed the guidance, recommended that the wood grading system used by the Wood Recyclers' Association (WRA) – which classifies wood as either clean, chipboard grade, non-WID fuel grade or WID fuel grade – be upgraded to include minimum specifications that were acceptable.
Other suggestions included the management code of practice being developed by the WRA being adopted by the wider industry, and the Waste and Resource Action Programme's guidance on feedstock specifications for wood recycling applications being updated to include details of acceptable levels of physical contaminants.
Martin Brocklehurst, head of environmental protection of external programmes for the EA, said: “The Technical Advisory Group found that standards in wood recovery varied and common quality controls could not be agreed upon.
“We believe a Quality Protocol for clean non-virgin timber can be achieved. The industry needs to work together to agree common standards and quality controls,” he added.
Project
Under the BREW Waste Protocols Project, which is run by both the Agency and WRAP, the Technical Advisory Group produced a technical report setting out the processes and controls necessary to determine when waste wood ceases to be a waste.
The report found that there was some uncertainty over what constitutes clean waste wood, which could potentially lead to treated timbers finding their way into what would otherwise be unregulated material.
Other concerns included the current lack of any commercially viable technologies for effectively removing chemical contaminants from treated waste wood.
The group said that for these reasons it was “unable to find enough evidence to support moving the point where waste wood ceases to be a waste closer to the point of production.”
Accordingly, the guideline are set to confirm that clean non-virgin timber remains regulated, normally through exemptions and treated timber remains a waste.
However, the advisory group recommended that provided controls were in place to stop clean waste wood from becoming contaminates, it should be free of regulatory controls.
Dr Richard Swannell, joint project executive for the waste protocols project at WRAP, said: “One of the objectives of the Waste Protocols Project is to clarify is to clarify the regulatory position for industry. Although we are disappointed that we could not achieve a quality protocol on this occasion, we hope that this clarification means that the wood recycling industry can develop further.”
WRA
The Agency's confidence in the creation of a wood protocol in future was welcomed by wood recyclers, who discussed the issue at their quarterly meeting in Birmingham earlier this month.
A spokesman said: “The Agency want to continue dialogue with the WRA and other industry bodies to develop a standard to give clarity at the top end of the market. The WRA will be progressing this with a high priority.”
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