Edinburgh Napier University

  The secondary timber value chain was explored by interviewing companies involved in wood recycling. The interviewees include community wood recyclers, chip producers and board-making companies. This paper is a perspective of the wood recycling industry in the UK and gives an insight on how it could become even more circular. What does typical waste wood look like? What kind of wood is used for different products? In which condition is it and is it suitable for higher cascading steps? How is it sorted and by whom? What are the processes used when manufacturing products from secondary timber? Which challenges and barriers are related to the material or the structure of the industry? And how much does the public know about the second life of wood waste? Our paper looks at all these questions while accompanying your hypothetical garden shed on the way to its uncertain future.