Commercial waste wood collection service ‘Community Wood Recycling’, has released its Social and Environmental Impact Report for the 2021/22 financial year.
The report shows some positive outcomes of the company's service, which comprises a network of social enterprises collecting and reusing waste wood and creates jobs and training for disadvantaged people. It aims to ‘save resources’ and ‘change lives’.
In the report, Community Wood Recycling recorded savings of ‘24,023 tonnes’ of wood from the waste stream, saving ‘12k tonnes’ of CO2. The waste wood saved led to ‘10,367 hours’ of training and ‘262 years’ of paid work.
The labour-intensive activity of collecting and reusing waste provides a wide range of disadvantaged people – ‘including ex-offenders, those coming through substance abuse, learning difficulties, or mental health issues’ – with the means to build their confidence, self-esteem and learn new skills. CWR aims to help these individuals overcome barriers to finding employment.
Community Wood Recycling also estimates that ‘every tonne of wood collected also saves around half a tonne of carbon emissions.’
The Social and Environmental Impact Report finds that Community Wood Recycling enabled the reuse of ‘9,536 tonnes’ of wood in 2021/22, stating that ‘40 per cent was pushed up the waste hierarchy into reuse; used by the community for DIY/building projects or firewood, or made into a whole range of beautiful products from bird boxes to dining tables.’
The report also notes that ‘14,487 tonnes’ of wood was recycled, where ‘60 per cent was sent for recycling into woodchip[s], used in the manufacture of particleboard, animal bedding, or as carbon neutral fuel in power stations.’
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.