OPINION: New wood waste regulations are no cause for panic

We’re now over a month into the recent Environment Agency (EA) legislation changes that have banned potentially hazardous wood from being recycled by companies like SunSkips.

For builders whose bread and butter involves the renovation and demolition of older buildings, I can understand why they might be panicking about how this will affect the way they work.

And after speaking with some larger firms in the Suffolk and Cambridge area, it seems a few could do with having their minds put at ease…

What do these new wood waste changes mean?

The EA has withdrawn Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) 250, which allowed skip hire companies to collect and store wood that falls into an “amber” or “potentially hazardous” category.

After a five-year consultation, this has left us with 10 specific types of wood that are considered potentially hazardous: Barge boards, external fascia, joinery & doors, roof timber, soffit boards, tiling cladding & battens, and timber frames & joists.

So as of September 1, 2023, SunSkips won’t be accepting this category of wood in its skips with other mixed waste.

The only options for builders to get rid of these wood types are to test it and present a certificate to the waste management firm, or to use a specialist hazardous waste wood disposal company.

For certain projects, this might apply to a significant portion of the wood waste being generated. But there are always solutions, and it’s important that construction companies in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire understand that they don’t have to face these new challenges alone…

MORE: Wood recycling: How it works, waste grades and why it’s vital to the UK

Who will these changes impact?

The onus is on the builder/carpenter/roofer’s customer to determine the age of the building the waste wood came from so it can be communicated with the skip hire company.

In the short-term, this could pose a bit of a headache for builders that were caught off guard by this legislation change and regularly deal with this kind of wood. There’ll inevitably be a knock-on effect from the cost of testing or specialist disposal to be passed on to the customer, not to mention the labour hours involved.

For unsuspecting builders in the middle of a project, the economic reality of these changes are going to come as a short, sharp shock.

We had a meeting with a builder the other day who was horrified by the news. When he realised how soon the changes would be coming in, he had to rush back to his customer to start testing the wood waste from the building he was working on.

Long-term, it’s really just another step in the waste management process. Conducting wood surveys on buildings will soon become as commonplace as asbestos surveys.

At worst, it might mean small price increases to cover the testing and management of the special wood waste.

But while I don’t believe there’s cause for panic, the backdrop against which these regulations are making things more expensive for customers can’t be ignored.

Why now?

The UK is grappling with the economic aftermath of a global pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Brexit. Builders large and small are striving to stay afloat in an environment characterised by supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and financial instability.

The notion of incorporating new testing requirements at this moment in time is only going to pile on the pressure with an additional layer of complexity and cost.

But while this has come as somewhat of a shock to a lot of professionals that work with waste wood, the reality is that this wasn’t a rash decision.

The EA and WRA have been working together on testing amber wood waste for five years. During this time, there were no restrictions on potentially hazardous wood as the associations worked with businesses and local authorities to determine the threat these wood types actually posed.

But still, as with all things like this, it has caught plenty of people off guard and there’ll likely be a period of adjustment for a lot of businesses.

Should we be worried?

From an environmental standpoint, this is all probably a good thing. Although this type of wood makes up a very small percentage of total waste wood, there are potential risks associated with toxins and chemicals leaching into soil and groundwater.

The construction industry makes a substantial negative impact on the environment due to its resource consumption and waste generation.

The EA is likely focusing on construction in the race to net zero in 2050. So while these new regulations may be challenging in the short-term, they’re ultimately in everyone’s best interest.

By embracing these regulations, UK builders have an opportunity not only to comply with evolving environmental standards, but also to be part of a movement that pioneers green technologies and methodologies.

MORE: Sustainable building practices: Paving the way to net zero

Of course, this presents an additional hurdle in an already trying economic period, but builders in the UK are no strangers to navigating regulatory landscapes.

Which is just as well, because more waste types could soon find themselves being banned from skips.

The shift towards banning POPs waste from landfill went pretty well on the whole, and I predict these new wood waste regulations won’t create huge ripples either.

So it stands to reason that the EA is going to look at what else can be banned to lighten the load on landfills.

MORE: OPINION: People accept new waste laws quicker than you’d think

I expect carpets, mattresses, certain textiles, stain-resistant fabrics, and non-stick items like frying pans are probably next in line.

Accepting opportunities to work with recycling associations on testing can go a long way to helping the EA make more informed decisions about what to prohibit. That way, we can continue to get value from generally safe materials that can be reintroduced into the circular economy instead of banning them from recyclers unnecessarily.

I get that some builders will be struggling with present regulation changes this month, but the reality is they should be looking ahead to even stricter regulations around the corner…

SunSkips is always on hand to help with any hazardous or potentially hazardous waste wood you need to manage. Just get in touch with our friendly team to discuss the right solution for you.