wood waste recycling
Changing Perspectives on Wood Recycling
Recent research from the Technical University of Munich supports the idea that the sustainability case for wood is improved through “cascading use.” This concept refers to the practice of recovering wood for the next most valuable alternative. Such an approach reduces the carbon footprint impact at each stage of use due to the availability of recycled material, which is much less carbonintensive to produce. Examples would include lumber which can be reclaimed for reuse or, in the next phase, unusable lumber that can be converted into chips for chipboard. Waste-to-energy is a last resort for wood recycling, yet it remains by far the most popular form of diversion from landfill. “We are still a throw-away society,” Donaldson says. “Tossing reusable material in the grinder makes us feel good that we are recycling and doing the right thing, but it might not be the best choice with respect to making the most money or choosing the ideal option to support sustainability.” The Canadian Wood Waste Recycling Business Group (CWWRG) promotes a holistic approach to wood recycling that supports the cascading use model. The organization believes that through the promotion of wood recycling, networking and the sharing
40 Recycling Product News March 2018
In the barn-wood sector, as well as in remanufacturing and reprocessing, end-product potential is varied, including everything from new lumber and briquets to landfill cover and fire log production. of related resources, the sector can better position itself for financial success. In the process, wood waste will increasingly be diverted from landfills.
focused on Three Core Activities
The CWWRG has identified three core business activities that support the growth of the Canadian wood recycling industry, or bioeconomy. These include the barn wood sector, as well as the remanufacturing and reprocessing industries. In all three sectors, wood is recycled into reusable wood products including new and used lumber, pellets, briquets, animal bedding and landfill cover, or it is used for fire log production. The three sectors are defined as below. Barn wood: The business of reclaiming used wood into a barn wood inventory retail business platform. Inventory is sold as recycled renewable building products. Remanufacturing: The business of creating a remanufacturing business platform, using a small portable wood
sawmill. This includes sawmilling, kiln drying, planing and/or milling the wood product into an inventory that is sold as recycled, renewable building products. Reprocessing: The business of creating a small portable reprocessing business platform, using the process of grinding, screening and/or shredding used end-of-life wood, which is sold as recycled wood product for developing reuse markets. According to Donaldson, there are about 80 barn wood business operations in Canada. Typically, these are small businesses. He says any community of 3,000 people or more can support a barn wood business, employing three to four people. Lumber is recovered from old structures, prepared by removing old fasteners, inventoried, priced and then retailed to the public from a storefront location. In some cases, reclaimed lumber is now also being offered by big box retailers at premium prices over new material. In remanufacturing, portable sawmill units can provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to resize recovered timber or urban logs for resale.
Cloverdale Fuel
Some operators, such as Langley, B.C.-based Cloverdale Fuel, report seeing an increasing urban waste wood supply. And it is welcome news. Robby Gill, Cloverdale Fuel’s GM, noted that the sawmill businesses that have provided the company’s traditional source of material are gradually disap-
Jim Donaldson is CEO of the Alberta-based Canadian Wood Waste Recycling Business Group.