Ensis is collaborating with a Sydney-based environmental business development company, Warnken ISE, to help turn ‘one person’s trash into another’s treasure’.
In what is understood to be an Australian first, a team of scientists will conduct a nationwide study involving sifting through tonnes of urban waste to provide essential information about wood disposed of at landfills.
The study will quantify the volume and types of wood waste being dumped at strategic waste facilities across Australia.
Ensis Wood Processing Leader in Recycling and Sustainability, Dr Joely Taylor, says in addition to the environmental benefits of recycling wood resources, there are also opportunities for commercial and economic gain.
”This project aims to put an end to speculation about the volumes of wood waste available across the country by providing scientific data on volumes and quality,” Dr Taylor says.
Matthew Warnken from Warnken ISE, says there are many potentially valuable uses for wood waste currently being disposed of in landfills. “Much of what is now being thrown away can, for example, be used as a renewable energy source or as raw material for engineered products such as particleboard,” he says.
“The study will be of interest to the timber industry, renewable energy project developers and also wood waste recyclers.”
Industry will be able to access the information on the online ‘Renewable Energy Atlas’ (managed by DEW/AGO), which will contain real wood waste data on a national level. A summary report will also be available on the Ensis website.
Ensis and Warnken ISE are working together thanks to funding from the Australian Greenhouse Office, Department of the Environment and Water Resources, with assistance from the (FWPRDC) to provide future opportunities to transform wood waste into value added products.
Further Information:
Dr Joely Taylor, Ensis
(03) 9545 2121; 0407 727 055
Matthew Warnken, Warnken ISE
(02) 9571 4800