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70<br />

Evaluation of Opportunities for Converting Indigenous UK Wastes <strong>to</strong> Wastes and Energy<br />

AEA/ED45551/Issue 1<br />

exceeded. 110 Waste wood could potentially become a valuable energy resource, but <strong>the</strong> market lacks<br />

tight specifications for <strong>the</strong> quality of wood sourced. 111<br />

One of <strong>the</strong> main barriers <strong>to</strong> utilisation of this resource is that <strong>the</strong> types and volumes of waste wood are<br />

largely unknown. 112,113 Treated and post-consumer waste wood is generated from a number of different<br />

sources: 112<br />

• Municipal solid waste (all waste collected under local authority contracts)<br />

• Industrial wood processing (such as furniture manufacture, including kitchen, office, exhibition or<br />

shop fitting furniture),<br />

• Industrial waste,<br />

• Commercial and business waste (e.g. from refurbishment),<br />

• Construction and demolition waste and<br />

• Packaging and pallets.<br />

Data sources<br />

The data used <strong>to</strong> compile this chapter is taken from sources such as Defra, <strong>the</strong> Environment Agency and<br />

WRAP (Waste and Resource Action Programme), in particular <strong>the</strong> 2005 WRAP <strong>report</strong> <strong>by</strong> Nikitas et al.<br />

which was identified as <strong>the</strong> most authoritative work <strong>to</strong> date, and reviews and ranks all previous sources.<br />

These comprehensive reviews and surveys of specific sec<strong>to</strong>rs have been used and extrapolated from <strong>to</strong><br />

generate a picture for regions of <strong>the</strong> UK. This method provides estimates but <strong>the</strong>re is a danger in putting<br />

<strong>to</strong>o much reliance on it – <strong>the</strong>re are big uncertainties and <strong>the</strong>re are also likely <strong>to</strong> be large variations with<br />

time, depending on economic activity, particularly if large companies leave <strong>the</strong> UK or change <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

business.<br />

Packaging waste does not come under any specific waste stream and so is covered briefly in Box 1.<br />

Box 1. Packaging waste<br />

Packaging waste is not a specific waste stream, but arises from municipal, commercial, industrial<br />

and construction waste streams. The most significant type of waste wood arisings are those from<br />

pallets, but in addition packaging waste wood is also generated from cases, boxes, crates, cable<br />

drums, casks and barrels. All of <strong>the</strong>se categories are largely made from softwood.<br />

Waste wood from packaging in <strong>the</strong> commercial and industrial sec<strong>to</strong>r was estimated <strong>to</strong> generate<br />

arisings of nearly 900,000 <strong>to</strong>nnes in 1998. Important quantities of packaging waste are also<br />

believed <strong>to</strong> arise on construction sites.<br />

Data on wood packaging waste across <strong>the</strong> different waste streams is available from Timcon<br />

(Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation). The estimated <strong>to</strong>tal <strong>to</strong>nnage in <strong>the</strong> UK for 2004 was<br />

about 1.4 million <strong>to</strong>nnes in 2004. However, this data is taken from Prodcom, based on survey<br />

samples of UK manufacturers, and presumably importers and exporters. Timcon’s view is that this<br />

data is of poor quality.<br />

110 The potential use of waste wood in <strong>the</strong> North East as an efficient biomass fuel source , K Coombs,<br />

http://www.northwoods.org.uk/files/northwoods/publications/Northwoods_WasteWoodFuelSource.pdf<br />

111 The environmental regulation of wood, Environment Agency, http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/ps005_2077240.pdf<br />

112 Review of wood waste arisings and management in <strong>the</strong> UK, 2005, Nikitas et al, Published <strong>by</strong> WRAP.<br />

113 ‘Waste wood as a Biomass Fuel’ – Defra, April 2008, ‘UK Biomass Strategy’ – Defra, May 2007

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