WRAP report shows fall in wood waste arisings

21 July 2011

The decrease is primarily down to reduced activity, particularly from the construction (13% decrease in wood waste arising) and furniture and joinery sectors (23%), since 2007. Between 2007 and 2010, wood waste arising fell from 4.5 million tonnes to 4.1 million tonnes.

The slowdown in construction has had 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 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 has also increased, rising to almost 200,000 tonnes in 2010.

The combination of a higher overall demand for waste wood and lower wood waste arisings has been reflected in lower gate fees for wood recyclers since early 2009.

While recovered wood arisings are likely to grow gradually as the economy recovers, 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.

“It’s easy to put the decrease in wood waste arising down to a reduction in construction activity during the recent economic downturn, but it’s 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.”

You can view the report at www.wrap.org.uk/msr