Wood and Timber

When purchasing check both the source of the wood you are buying and the product's durability.

There are now many opportunities to reuse timber. Architectural salvage groups will often have supplies of floor boards, window and door frames and other items. You could also give away your unwanted wooden furniture on an internet network like freecycle. Shrewsbury furniture scheme reuses and recycles old furniture.

Can be recycled at: Kerbside: Bring Sites: Battlefield HRC: Yes

Wood is biodegradable, and so can contribute to greenhouse gas production if allowed to rot in landfill sites. Often, it is in excellent condition, and would therefore make ideal material for reuse, rather than simply "being binned". The growing, harvesting and processing of virgin timber uses energy, and water, thereby using other natural resources which are not as renewable as timber.

Recycling Process

Wood can be recycled into mulch which used to prevent soil erosion, enrich soils, help limit water loss and moderate soil temperature change. Untreated material can be used for pet bedding, and can also be used in all weather exercise rings for horses. Or wood chips can be used to make Chipboard and Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) - these are produced by mixing chipped wood with a resin and applying heat and / or pressure to form a board.