A central databank of information designed to help the timber industry recycle more of its waste will be launched on the internet in August.
The Timber Recycling Information Centre, a £300,000 project managed by TRADA, will also help the development of government policies designed to improve the sustainability of resource use.
TRADA, which is providing 10% of the funding, has been collecting information on the flow of timber resources and waste for months.
The new website will provide a databank of research and practical advice that will enable industrialists and education bodies to understand the impact that timber has on the waste stream.
It will hopefully enable companies to use waste timber more effectively and improve their waste management processes.
The website will be divided into categories relevant to different sectors of the industry – from board producers to small joinery companies.
The project leader, TRADA’s Stephen Riddiough, said: ‘People look at the original source of the timber rather than whether we are recycling it.’
However, the recycling issue was as important as making sure timber came from sustainably managed forests, he said.
Exhibitions, conferences and seminars are also in the pipeline to supplement the website.
The information centre is one of 25 projects covering different industrial sectors in the Mass Balance UK initiative, funded largely by Biffaward – a multi-million pound environment fund which uses landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services.
The initiative was prompted by lack of data on resource flows in the UK.
