Wood Recyclers' Association report: UK waste wood market remained buoyant in 2024 with over 96% of material processed
- PWT
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
The UK’s waste wood market remained buoyant in 2024, with strong demand for material, according to the latest annual statistics recently published by the Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA).
Of the 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood generated in the UK last year, the vast majority – 4.33 million tonnes – was sent for reuse, recycling or recovery, equating to over 96%. This result is similar to the 97% processed in 2023 and may, in fact, represent a slightly higher proportion given the subdued activity in the construction sector, which may have reduced overall arisings compared to previous years.
The 2024 figures were compiled by the WRA through its annual survey of members, who handle approximately 90% of the market by volume. These responses were extrapolated, alongside the latest industry data, to produce figures for the UK as a whole.
Key takeaways include:
Large-scale biomass remained the largest end user of waste wood, accounting for 2.8 million tonnes (65%) – unchanged from 2023. This highlights the sector’s crucial role in delivering secure, renewable baseload power.
The panel board industry was the second largest user, consuming over 920,000 tonnes (21%) of processed waste wood. This represented a 4.5% decrease compared to 2023, attributed to the downturn in the housing market and the closure of West Fraser’s South Molton manufacturing plant.
Use of waste wood for animal bedding, equine surfacing, other recycling and reuse fell 11% year-on-year to 310,000 tonnes, due to reduced demand for poultry bedding (linked to avian flu) and lower reuse activity in construction.
Pallet refurbishment and reuse via local authority hubs increased during the year. Although these aren’t currently included in the statistics, the WRA plans to report on them in the future.
Exports and imports (netted off) rose 2.8% year-on-year to approximately 211,000 tonnes, representing 5% of the market. This growth was driven by strong demand for biomass feedstock in Europe.
Usage in small-scale biomass remained steady at 90,000 tonnes, making up 2% of the market.
Julia Turner, Executive Director of the WRA, said: “These figures show the UK waste wood market remains balanced and in great shape, with well-developed and environmentally compliant markets for all domestic material. We’re very proud that nearly all waste wood is being utilised, with only a tiny fraction going to informal markets, such as bonfire night burning, or to landfill. In this way, our sector plays a key role in supporting the circular economy, net zero goals, and the UK’s energy security.”
She continued: “In order for our industry to maintain this performance in 2025, it’s vital that sites are allowed to store material during the summer months, when demand is lower, so that it’s available in winter when most needed. This is why we’re urging the Environment Agency to ensure that its recently announced Regulatory Position Statement 352 is not overly restrictive, and enables waste wood to be stored safely and compliantly for longer.”
Carbon savings also revealed
Alongside the statistics, the WRA also unveiled the sector’s latest carbon savings figures:
In 2024, the UK panel board industry sequestered 1.09 million tonnes of carbon through the use of recycled wood in chipboard.
Waste wood biomass continued to save 701,000 tonnes of carbon emissions compared to displaced fossil-fuel generation. With carbon capture and storage (CCS), this has the potential to rise to 3.6 million tonnes.
Julia added: “Our latest carbon savings data shows how our sector contributes to emissions reductions – both by locking carbon into panel board products and by displacing fossil fuels. This contribution is even greater when we include the benefits of other forms of recycling and reuse, which we aim to report on in future.”
For further information on the Wood Recyclers’ Association, see www.woodrecyclers.org.
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