As lockdown begins to lift, the Wood Recyclers Association’s chair, Any Hill, looks ahead.
As lockdown begins to slowly lift across the UK, we are entering into a phase of look and see.
What will our world look like as we come out of lockdown? What will we be facing in terms of new regulations and restrictions in our personal and professional lives? How have our businesses fared? Is our previous business model still fit for purpose?
These and many other questions will continue to present themselves to all of us over the coming months. And it is no different for the WRA.
As a trade association we entered into lockdown like everyone else – in shock. Throughout the period our focus was on what we thought our members would require from us. How could we, as a membership organisation, help them in their hour of need?
Very quickly it became apparent there was a need to help them keep their waste wood flowing. They had lost 85 per cent of their incoming materials, mainly due to the sudden closure of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and construction activity being put on hold.
I’m pleased to now see as restrictions are lifted, HWRCs are beginning to operate again, construction work is restarting and waste wood is, we believe, starting to flow. Nonetheless, the impact of Covid-19 will undoubtedly be felt for a long time to come by our members.
I’m pleased to now see as restrictions are lifted, HWRCs are beginning to operate again, construction work is restarting and waste wood is, we believe, starting to flow. Nonetheless, the impact of Covid-19 will undoubtedly be felt for a long time to come by our members.
The WRA is now beginning to look beyond lockdown and return to dealing with the other issues that lie ahead for the waste wood sector.
One big project that has continued in the background is Waste Wood Classification. The current RPS states that mixed waste wood must only be used for panel board feedstock or biomass destined for Chapter IV Compliant boilers, while the project work is carried out.
Due to Covid-19 related impacts, the Environment Agency has already extended the RPS from its current deadline of the end of July 2020 to the end of January 2021. In the meantime, the WRA continues to work with our stakeholders and partners on classifying waste wood items as clean and untreated, treated but non-hazardous or treated and hazardous.
Similarly, we have been working behind the scenes for many months campaigning for Defra to have a rethink over its proposed reduction in waste wood packaging recycling targets.
A consultation last year by Defra on the UK packaging producer responsibility system (EPR), proposed a decrease in waste wood packaging recycling targets from the current 43% to 35% for 2021 and 2022, and further reductions leading up to 2030.
The WRA is committed to the waste hierarchy principle of reuse, recycling and then recovery (biomass fuel) and we therefore don’t agree to a reduction in these targets.
In fact, as we are already exceeding the current targets, we would like to see them increased, and don’t believe that would divert large quantities of wood away from biomass, as has been suggested, because large-scale biomass predominantly uses lower grades of waste wood, not packaging material.
It therefore makes no sense to us that the targets are reduced, because in doing so it is likely to lead to a reversal of the waste hierarchy and could result in valuable waste wood packaging material going into biomass, which is against the waste hierarchy principle.
Finally, we are also looking at our members’ meetings going forward and have replaced our traditional June meeting with a webinar on 3 June, which members are free to join. If you are a member of the WRA and haven’t registered to attend you can do so here.
Beyond June, we will wait to see how and when life evolves before deciding whether we can hold physical meetings in either September or December as usual. I for one hope we can, as it would be great to see everyone again!
