Waste wood is a massively overlooked resource, with huge potential for providing renewable energy and mitigating climate change, according to Defra.
The government’s environmental department said that 10 million tonnes of waste wood is sent to landfill each year in the UK, but much of it could be used to generate heat and power.
Defra’s Waste Wood as a Biomass Fuel report, published yesterday, said that more Waste Incineration Directive-compliant combustion facilities, commercial incentives and supportive legislation are needed to take advantage of this resource.
This would help reduce the UK’s carbon output and aid the EU in reaching its 20% renewable energy target.
It added that energy recovery was the “most likely method of diverting waste wood from landfill” as recycling was a well-developed market and reliant on a source of clean, virgin timber.
“It has been estimated that recovering energy from two million tonnes of waste wood could generate 2600GWh of electricity and save 1.15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, with greater benefits available by recovering heat as well as power,” said climate change and waste minister Joan Ruddock.
“This is a huge potential resource that is being wasted.”
The Waste Wood as a Biomass Fuel report is available to download here.
