Environmentally responsible construction: Community wood recycling
In This Series
- Assessment of the durability and engineering properties of lesser-known hardwood timber species for use in marine and freshwater construction
- Avoiding landfill through effective wood waste disposal and a shift in product focus
- Bracing for non-domestic timber trussed rafter roofs
- Cross-laminated timber: an introduction
- GD 5 How to calculate deformations in timber structures using Eurocodes
This research information sheet examines how businesses can adopt a more environmentally responsible approach to building.
This research information sheet features Integra (Brighton) Ltd as a case study for community wood recycling.
Integra was established in 1990 with a goal of servicing the construction needs of Sussex and the South East of England with a focus on environmental and social responsibility. In just five years after its inception, Integra diverted over 400 tonnes of wood waste from landfill for recycling and re-use.
Contents:
- The achievement
- Background
- Working with local timber recyclers
- The wood waste problem
- Table 1: Integral wood waste disposal figures
- Table 2: Cheesmur building contractors wood waste disposal figures
Suggested Reading
Introducing wood
As a construction material, timber has a very distinct advantage over the alternatives, namely that it is a living thing and therefore a renewable resource. With the use of correctly managed forests, timber represents an excellent way of creating a more sustainable construction industry.
The treatment of timber...
04/04/2016 | Wood Information Sheet
The role of wood waste as a source of biomass fuel in the UK
Biomass is a generic term for a wide range of organic materials including wood, which are used to generate electricity and/or heat. Waste wood is just one form of biomass for which there is rapidly growing interest in the UK.
The key difference between using biomass and fossil fuels...
01/01/2012 | Research Summarie
Recovering and minimising wood waste
Wood and wood-based products are used in a wide range of applications, some with service lives of many decades before they enter the waste stream. However, it is only in recent years that an industry has emerged to recycle wood waste, where qualities such as a low moisture content compared...
04/07/2016 | Wood Information Sheet
