Timber

Overview: Due to its flexibility, durability, and appealing visual attraction, timber has multiple applications in the construction industry. The amount of timber waste generated from C&D activities is influenced by the life span of the building materials. Australia generated 2.4 Mt of timber waste in 2016-17. The share of the C&D sector as the second-largest timber waste generator was almost 612 kt (25.8%), behind C&I with almost 1,524kt (64.3 %). Among the jurisdictions, NSW, Vic and Qld had the largest amount of timber waste in total and in the C&D waste stream in 2016-2017. In Australia, timber waste is classified into three major categories: untreated timber (Type A), engineered timber products (Type B), and treated timber (Type C). This classification determines the management strategy for timber waste.

Supply chain (circular economy): We developed a model to identified the opportunities for reducing timber waste disposal throughout the lifecycle of timber products. The opportunities are conceptualised in the timber-LoWMoR model.

Timber LoWMoR model

The peak industry group, the Timber Development Association (TDA), has established the National Timber Product Stewardship Group (here), an industry/government steering group set up to identify and facilitate product stewardship initiatives in the industry. In 2007, TDA released a product stewardship strategy, “Timber-More Life”, which set a national target to double the recovery rate of wood waste by 2017. In 2007, the recovery rate was estimated to be 32%.

Relevant industry associations

Major timber market stakeholders

Westfarmers Limited/Bunnings (13.6%)
Metcash Limited/Home Timber & Hardware (8.5%)

Recommendations to reduce timber waste disposal

To use non disposable metal formwork instead of timber one in several construction projects
To redefine and harmonise timber waste in national and jurisdictional regulations and policies
To exclude timber waste recovered from construction activities from generic timber waste
To improve the existing and employing new varieties of machinery instead of old and obsolete one help reducing the wood waste
To fund the development of waste energy recovery infrastructure particularly those that are able to recover energy from chemically treated timber waste
To consider precast timber frames in the designs

Full Report: Will be made available soon