D J RECYCLING · GUIDE
The benefits of recycling wood
Waste wood is one of the easiest materials to recycle, as long as it is kept clean and separate. Here is what happens to it, why it matters and how to get the most out of your timber waste.
The short answer
Recycling wood keeps it out of landfill, where it breaks down and gives off methane. Clean timber is chipped and turned into chipboard, animal bedding, mulch or fuel for biomass boilers. Keeping wood separate from other rubbish makes this possible and can reduce what you pay to dispose of it.
What does recycled wood become?
Clean wood such as pallets, packaging and offcuts is shredded into chips. Those chips are used to make chipboard and other panel boards, animal bedding for farms and stables, garden mulch and play surfaces.
Wood that cannot be made into new products can still be used as fuel in biomass plants, producing heat and power instead of sitting in a landfill site.
Why it matters
Wood buried in landfill rots slowly and releases methane, a strong greenhouse gas. Recycling avoids that and reduces the demand for newly felled timber.
It also saves space. A load of old fence panels, decking and pallets takes up a lot of room in a skip, and much of it can be recovered when it is kept apart from general waste.
Which wood can be recycled?
Most wood can be recycled in some form. Clean, untreated timber such as pallets, crates and new offcuts is the most useful. Building timber, doors, floorboards and old furniture can usually be recycled too, though nails and fittings need removing at the recycling site.
Some wood needs special handling. Timber treated with creosote, such as old railway sleepers and some fence posts, and wood with hazardous coatings, cannot go with ordinary wood waste. Mention it when you book so we can advise.
How to keep wood separate on your job
If you are replacing a fence, stripping a kitchen or taking down a shed, stack the timber in one place rather than mixing it with rubble, plasterboard and bags.
For a big load of timber, ask us about our wood recycling service. For mixed jobs, tell us roughly how much of the waste is wood when you ask for a skip quote.
Common questions
Can painted wood be recycled?
Often, yes, depending on the paint. Old wood with lead paint or hazardous coatings needs checking, so mention it before loading.
Can railway sleepers go in a skip?
Creosote-treated sleepers are hazardous waste and must not go in a general skip. Ask us about the right disposal route.
Is it cheaper to keep wood separate?
It can be, because clean wood is easier and cheaper to recycle than mixed waste. Ask when you book.