Wood Waste Disposal – A change in regulations and the effect on build & demolition projects

The Environmental Agency (EA) has changed the rules with regards to the disposal of potentially hazardous wood. From 1st September 2023 any wood deemed potentially hazardous must now be treated as hazardous waste. This mainly concerns timber from buildings built pre-2007, which in our experience covers the majority of buildings undergoing refurbishment or demolition projects.

What will this mean for construction and demolition projects?

The majority of waste timber from site is taken to a wood recycling centre, where it is repurposed and reused. We can understand that the EA has made this decision to protect the environment and to try and separate out wood that has been treated with chemicals, but this latest change in regulation will have a knock-on effect for the construction industry.

Potential Delays

If your building is pre-2007, any timber being disposed of will need to be tested to determine how it is to be treated. There are a limited number of these testing facilities and we envisage that there will be a back-log, causing delays on site.

Extra Costs

Along with the extra costs for testing material, timber which was previously deemed as potentially hazardous could now been seen as hazardous which will be more expensive to dispose of. Transportation costs may also increase if timber needs to be taken to specialist waste centres.

We are sure the UK construction industry will ride this latest challenge, given the last few years, it is something we have had to become experts at!

If you would like to read more about these latest changes, we have come across a useful information sheet produced by waste experts, Biffa, which you can download here.

Source: https://www.biffa.co.uk/biffa-insights/changes-in-wood-waste-regulations