Facts on wood waste in the UK

In 1999 global production of industrial wood and fuel wood reached 3,335 million m3, and is predicted to increase. The UK currently consumes about 3% the world's wood consumption. The UK has only about 1% of the world's population, but has three times the world's average per capita consumption rate of wood. Although UK production of wood is expected to increase to 15 million m3 in 2020, if we are only to use our fair share of global sustainable production, the UK will have to reduce its consumption of primary wood products by 70% by 2050.

Wood waste has some features that mean it should not be ignored;

If allowed to rot in landfill sites it contributes methane to greenhouse gas production.
• Methane is 23 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon monoxide.
• Wood is often in excellent condition, and could make ideal material for reuse, rather than simply being binned.
• Growing, harvesting and processing of virgin timber uses energy and water; natural resources which are not as renewable as timber
• Recycling will eventually save money as the cost of disposing through landfill rises.

Every man, woman and child in Great Britain consumes one tonne of wood a year.

Wood waste sources
Wood is one of the most commonly used materials across all kinds of industry, especially building, manufacture, transport and packaging. Huge amounts of wood are used once and then thrown away - despite the fact that it is still perfectly re-usable - because until now there were no other options. Wood recyclers are now creating a service whereby this wood can be collected and given a new lease of life, rather than ending up rotting in landfill.

Landfill tax
The Government has imposed a Landfill Tax to reduce the amount of waste landfilled in the UK; to fund research into waste practices; and to promote the reuse and recycling of waste. From April 2006 the tax on landfill disposal is £21 per tonne and is set to rise to £35 per tonne by 2010. By recycling instead of landfilling, we are not paying this tax on the majority of the waste we collect, so we can pass this saving on to our customers.