WRAP study points to 10% fall in wood waste arisings

Using information from consultancy Pyry, the WRAP study estimates that about 4.1 million tonnes of wood entered the UK waste stream in 2010. This represents a decline of 0.4 million tonnes (10%) when compared to 2007, when 4.5 million tonnes arose.

The steepest fall was recorded in Yorkshire and Humber, which fell by 21%, while in Northern Ireland wood waste arisings did not fall.

Notably, WRAP stressed that the 4.1 million tonnes figure is substantially lower than some earlier estimates of wood arisings by WRAP and MEL in 2006 and also ERM. One of the main areas of uncertainty, it explained, wasin estimating the overall wood waste tonnages in the construction and joinery sectors and among small businesses.

The decrease in waste wood arisings is thought to stem from reduced activity, particularly from the construction (13% decrease in wood waste arising) and furniture and joinery sectors (23%), since 2007.

The slowdown in construction was also found to have a knock-on effect on the wood panel sector traditionally the largest consumer of wood waste with demand for wood waste down from 1.2 million tonnes in 2007 to 1.1 million tonnes in 2010.

However, an increase in the amount of wood waste used in the animal bedding and biomass sector, where use has more than doubled to 500,000 tonnes in 2010, has seen the total amount of wood waste recycled or used in energy recovery in the UK increase from 1.9 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes in 2010 more than half of all wood waste arising.

Exported wood waste was also found to have increased, rising to almost 200,000 tonnes in 2010.

Gate fees

The combination of a higher overall demand for waste wood and lower wood waste arisings was found to have been reflected in lower gate fees for wood recyclers since early 2009. Pointing to prices recorded by letsrecycle.com the report notes: indicative data suggest that gate fees for wood waste taken in by wood recyclers have fallen sharply since early 2009.

While recovered wood arisings are likely to grow gradually as the economy recovers, WRAP noted that rising demand for recovered wood may put further downward pressure on gate fees.

Marcus Gover, director of the closed loop economy at WRAP, said: This report gives businesses in the waste wood industry a critical overview of the trends that have, and will continue to, influence the marketplace.

This should enable businesses to become better informed, increase the transparency across the marketplace and provide evidence to support business decisions.

Its easy to put the decrease in wood waste arising down to a reduction in construction activity during the recent economic downturn, but its also important to note that the construction industry one of the biggest contributors to wood waste arising has also taken proactive steps to reduce the amount of wood they send to landfill.

The introduction of site waste management plans (SWMPs) in April 2008, require construction companies to plan, monitor and measure the waste they generate on site, and industry commitments such as Halving Waste to Landfill, launched by WRAP in 2008, have also had an impact.