Why we need to recycle wood
Many of us will never have sat back and wondered exactly how much wood we use in a year, how much we recycle and how much is wasted. The sad truth is that in the UK alone over 10 million tonnes of wood is disposed of each and every year and only 1.5 million tonnes of this is recycled. This is actually a scandal which has been recognised by many governments around the world and while progress is being made in the wood recycling industry, there is still much work to do to educate the public and increase recycling rates.
Did you know that wood which is disposed of at a landfill site will emit methane gas into the atmosphere which is over 20 times more damaging than carbon dioxide?
When you also consider landfill charges, landfill taxes and various penalties which have been introduced by the EU and governments around the world, the true cost of not recycling wood is growing each and every year.
Over the last decade we have seen a number of wood recycling companies emerge in the UK, offering services which are thankfully increasing in popularity and seeing more and more wood recycled and reused. We need to appreciate that the UK government and local authorities will at some stage penalise UK consumers who do not recycle elements such as wood, with many expecting significant fines in due course.
Written in association with Firesgalore, wood stoves
