Waste Wood
What is Waste Wood?
Waste wood in the UK accounts for approximately 450,000 tonnes of refuse from domestic users. 700,000 tonnes of waste wood comes from packaging and pallets, and 800,000 tonnes of waste wood from construction and demolition, totalling 1,950 000 tonnes annually.
There is an estimated 1.75 billion cubic metres of timber harvested annually worldwide, leading to a lot of waste wood. The UK consumes approximately 50 million cubic metres of wood. The UK consumes around 3% of the world’s wood, but has just 1% of the world’s population.
Waste wood accounts for approximately 5% of household waste. Wood is not a significant amount of household rubbish, but it should be remembered that waste wood will biodegrade and will contribute to greenhouse gasses unless it is kept out of landfill sites. Growing trees rather than reusing existing waste wood will also use other natural resources such as fossil fuels. For the commercial sector, reusing waste wood can reduce the costs of disposing of waste wood through landfill sites.
Waste wood from the domestic sector mostly comprises old furniture, fencing and DIY remnants. As waste wood is often in a good condition, it makes more sense to reuse it rather than bin it. In some cases waste wood like old furniture can be donated to a charity so it can be reused. Where appropriate, your waste wood might be repairable, which may save money and will help the environment. Buying somebody else’s waste wood products such as doors or furniture can save you money, and the environment. If you must buy new, rather than waste wood, the product life should be considered, so that it won’t need replacing regularly, leading to more waste wood. Waste wood that cannot be recycled can often be used for biomass as a form of renewable energy.
In addition, waste wood that can’t be recycled can also be used as sawdust for animals, mulch for agricultural use and Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) for building and DIY.
Waste wood is one area of recycling that can be improved, and waste wood can easily be reused or recycled.
Why not see how Biomass Engineering and Waste Wood can assist your company?
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