From humble beginnings and an initial membership of seven companies, the trade association representing the wood recycling sector has grown to 72 member companies with its 73rd in the pipeline.
Members of the organisation, known as the WRA, now account for over 80% of the post-consumer wood recycled in the UK.
Chairman Clem Spencer, of Wood Yew Waste in Devon, told the meeting that he had originally joined the association to keep pace with legislation, see what markets were developing and make contacts, which he said was still crucial to staying ahead.
“We all gain something from being a member of this organisation, he said.
He then paid tribute to the help provided to wood recyclers over the years through loans and support by the Waste & Resources Action Programme. This was as well as the important role played by panelboard manufacturers who provided the first market for recycled wood in the UK and still represent the largest end market. The sector was represented at the meeting by the director-general of the Wood Panel Industries Federation, Alastair Kerr.
Mr Spencer said: “When we started there was one market but now we have three or four. But we need to keep true to our partners who helped us get here today.
Service
Peter Butt, secretary of the Wood Recyclers Association, read out some emails at the event from founding secretary Rick Wilcox and founding chairman Michael Tracey who could unfortunately not attend.
In his email, Mr Tracey, who received an MBE last year for services to the waste industry (see letsrecycle.com story), remarked on how far things had come over the last ten years and said that the organisation owed a lot to former chair Geoff Hadfield, Geoff Hornsby of Gateshead-based Reivers Reprocessing and Mr Wilcox to name but a few.
In his email, Mr Wilcox recalled speaking to Mr Tracey when he first asked him to run the association, estimating that it would attract 15-20 companies at most. In true fashion, he said that Mr Tracey’s business sense meant that these expectations were far exceeded.
Mr Hadfield then spoke and paid tribute to the board and Mr Spencer before adding that the strength of this association is down to everyone in this room.
The founding members of the WRA were: Michael Tracey from Linwood-based Tracey Timber Recycling; Geoff Hadfield of Hadfield Wood Recyclers and UK Wood Recycling; Mr Hornsby; Mr Wilcox; and, Charlie Egerton from West Lothian-based AW Jenkinson Woodwaste Ltd.
The first WRA meeting was held in September 2001, when there were just 16 member companies.
Board
Two new members were also yesterday appointed to the WRA board: Andy Hill from SITA UK; and, Mark Hayton from Leeds-based Timberpak, a recycling subsidiary of board manufacturing company Egger. This brings the total number of board members to eight.
Mr Butt said: “The new board members are both from big companies, showing we are an increasingly broad church.”
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