Recycled wood
Recycled wood: from old timber to heat, pellets and power
Old pallets, fencing and joinery are too useful to bury. Depending on its grade, waste wood becomes pellets, panel board or fuel for biomass boilers.
Wood is one of the most recyclable things that goes into a skip. The UK collects around 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood a year, by the Wood Recyclers Association's estimate, and what it becomes depends on how clean it is.
The four grades of waste wood
| Grade | Typically | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| A (clean) | Untreated pallets, packaging and offcuts | Biomass pellets and briquettes for heating, animal bedding, landscaping surfaces |
| B (mixed) | Building and demolition timber, some furniture | Panel board such as chipboard, and fuel |
| C (lower grade) | Painted, coated or laminated wood, fencing | Fuel for biomass plants that generate heat and electricity |
| D (hazardous) | Wood treated with creosote or similar preservatives, such as railway sleepers | Specialist disposal only |
Pellets and briquettes
Wood pellets and briquettes for heating are made from clean, untreated wood. It is shredded to a fine fibre, dried and pressed under high pressure, and the wood's own natural binders hold each pellet together. Because the wood must be clean, only grade A wood is suitable.
Woodchip for biomass boilers
Most wood from skips and building sites is mixed, so it is chipped rather than pelleted. At our facilities, wood is separated from other waste, shredded and screened into a 75mm-down grade C woodchip. It goes to biomass boilers and waste-to-energy plants built to burn this grade of fuel cleanly, and to board manufacture and agricultural uses.
We sell it in bulk: see recycled materials.
Getting more from your waste wood
- If you have a lot of wood, ask us for a wood-only skip. It is easier to recycle and often cheaper than a mixed load.
- Keep hazardous treated wood, such as railway sleepers, separate and tell us about it when you book.
- Not sure what you have? Call 01252 342365 and we'll advise.