The Environment Agency has decided to de-regulate waste wood recovery of virgin timber for the timber industry.
The decision is the result of work by the Waste Protocols Project, which made efforts to develop a quality protocol to reduce regulation on waste wood and remove uncertainty over the point at which waste wood is fully recovered and can be used as a resource.
Virgin timber is classed as being free from oil, paint, preservation or chemical treatment and does not pose a risk to human health or the environment.
“As a result, producers can recover and sell-on virigin waste wood such as off-cuts, shavings or sawdust from sawmills, free from regulatory control,” said Martin Brocklehurst, the Environment Agency’s head of external programmes.
However, recovery of clean non-virgin timber, which contains physical contaminants that need removal, will remain regulated.
A technical advisory group, including members of the industry, found standards in wood recovery varied and common quality controls could not be agreed upon.
“We believe a quality protocol for clean non-virgin timber can be achieved,” added Mr Brocklehurst.
“The industry needs to work together to agree common standards and quality controls.”
The Environment Agency said as the market for waste wood products develops it will remain an option for companies to make a case that the waste wood has been fully recovered to a standard that can be widely marketed as a product.
“Such submissions will be considered on a case by case basis to encourage higher standards to prevail,” it said.
The use of non-virgin treated timber will remain under regulatory control.