Minister ‘open’ to increasing wood packaging targets

The WRA sent a letter co-signed by the Wood Panel Industries Federation (WPIF) and Confor to Defra in May calling for higher packaging recycling targets from 2024 in order to drive investment in recycling and ensure as much wood as possible is recycled in line with the waste hierarchy into products such as panel board and animal bedding.

The targets determine how much support wood reprocessors receive through the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) system but are set at just 35% for 2023 – the lowest for any material.

Responding to the letter last week (June 14), Rebecca Pow said: “I am encouraged that the wood sector is keen to have higher recycling targets.

“As part of finalising our plans for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), we will be confirming future recycling targets for all packaging materials.

“I am open to increasing targets for wood packaging and I have asked Defra officials to update you on current thinking.”

Ms Pow added that it was Defra’s intention to “resume the work on reusable packaging including specific measures to increase the reuse of wooden pallets” in order to “deliver the intended environmental benefits associated with increased re-use, whilst still providing incentives to recycle waste wood packaging where appropriate at the end of life.”

“We are very pleased to hear that Defra is open to increasing the packaging recycling targets for waste wood, which have been set too low for too long,” said WRA chair Richard Coulson.

“Setting higher targets under EPR will ensure that as much waste wood as possible is recycled in accordance with the waste hierarchy and will help to protect the many benefits the waste wood reprocessing sector brings.

“We look forward to engaging with officials at Defra to ensure any future targets create the best environmental outcome for both wood which is reusable and that which is not. We hope that any replacement to the PRN system also continues to support the recycling of suitable waste wood packaging.”

“We welcome the statement by the Minister that Defra are open to the idea of increasing wood packaging recycling targets,” said Alastair Kerr, director-general of the WPIF. “Over the past decade we have seen the volumes of wood packaging come through for recycling reduce significantly. The capacity to recycle this material remains, all that is needed is the driver to push the material from recovery into recycling.”