The Wood Recyclers Association (WRA) has published a guide for wood recyclers and reprocessors explaining how to report hazardous material if it arrives on site in waste wood loads.
The guide is being issued on the back of the on-going work of a waste wood industry group, led by the WRA, which is currently focused on ensuring that waste wood is classified properly at the front end and is processed into appropriate end uses.
The project looking at the classification of waste wood began last year after the Environment Agency (EA) expressed concerns about whether treated waste wood was being mis-described as untreated, clean grade A material and ending up in non IED Chapter IV-compliant boilers.
“This guidance will ensure that our members report hazardous materials in a consistent and transparent way, which will help to build evidence for our on-going work on waste wood classification.”
In response to these concerns the EA published a Regulatory Position Statement in November which temporarily allows un-assessed mixed waste wood loads to be coded and moved under a non-hazardous waste code, as long as it is only going to panel board manufacture or Chapter IV EID compliant boilers. A precautionary hazardous waste classification and associated consignment requirement will be applied to mixed waste wood loads in any other situation.
Waste wood currently recognised as hazardous, such as railway sleepers, telegraph poles and wood treated with creosote must continue to be segregated as hazardous waste wood and consigned as hazardous to appropriate facilities. This applies to other hazardous materials such as gas bottles etc.
Julia Turner, executive director of the WRA, said it is crucial wood recyclers and reprocessors have a clear understanding of how to consign all hazardous materials arriving on site.
“Although reprocessors have been removing and returning any hazardous waste they find, the difference now is the reporting method,” said Julia. “This guidance will ensure that our members report hazardous materials in a consistent and transparent way, which will help to build evidence for our on-going work on waste wood classification.
“The guidance has been issued to all our members and we hope they will be compliant by 1st April 2018.”