On Thursday (February 14), the Department said it did not believe it was the right time to introduce a restriction on sending the material to landfill (see letsrecycle.com story).
The decision came after respondents to a call for evidence raised a number of concerns over the costs and practicalities of the proposals such as how it would be enforced and the lead in times necessary.
And yesterday (February 17), the Wood Recyclers Association which represents wood recyclers across the country, said it was pleased to see that its recommendation not to pursue the measure had been listened to.
The WRA has been particularly keen not to see a ban introduced after the market was inundated with material last year (see letsrecycle.com story).
In a statement, the WRA said: The WRA notes, with no real surprise, the final conclusion from Defra that the time is not right to be pursuing landfill restrictions for wood.
This was the WRAs recommendation. We are pleased to see that others have supported this view, and that Defra have chosen to agree.
The WRA added that, instead of a landfill restriction, it was now keen to see the landfill tax escalator extended beyond 2014.
Related Links
It said: We are also pleased that others share our view that the best way forward now is a continuation beyond 2014 of the landfill tax escalator, and a closer focus on encouraging Energy from Waste. Taken together, these measures should ensure that as much as possible of the type of wood currently going into landfill is diverted into useful markets.
The WRA has a wide membership which currently stands at 87 companies which handle more than 85% of recycled wood in the UK.
The responses to the call for evidence can be found here.
Subscribe for free