FLAGSHIP

Resource Sheet – Timber and Pallet ASPIRE Project ‐ 2015

Creating value from timber and pallets through recycling & re‐use

The Challenge . These include green waste, topsoils and fill materials, building & , Almost every manufacturer deals with the problem of waste timber in the form of pallets. These are troublesome, as they are difficult to dispose of without taking up costly space in the waste to landfill bin, while they take up valuable space if stored on site. In 2013/14 Sustainability Victoria estimate that, Australia generated over 500,000 tonnes of timber waste, with around 340,000 tonnes ending in landfill. There are alternatives to landfill for timber pallets, including the manufacture of particleboard, mulch, , fuel and animal bedding. Furthermore, Figure 1: wooden pallets awaiting recycling (left) and a reconditioned box (right) pallets can be repaired and reused, as this case demonstrates. concrete, as well as ferrous and non‐ferrous materials. The Solution Wherever possible, pallets, skids, crates and boxes are repaired. If unsuitable for repair they are Waste Converters/Smart Recycling is a dismantled and the salvaged timber is used to Dandenong‐based, environmentally and ethically produce custom‐made pallets, skids, crates and conscious company. Their Pallet, Crate and Box boxes to customer specifications. They also manufacturing division trades as Aardvark Pallets. produce recycled survey pegs, garden stakes, They buy and sell second‐hand pallets and gluts, spacers and pit lids. Timber that is manufacture reusable pallets, skids, crates and unsuitable for packaging or resale is mulched to boxes (see Figure 1) . produce a variety of quality landscaping mulches. Their recycled products and services are assisting Waste Converters/Smart Recycling provide a skip more than 2,000 local organisations to reduce bin and tray‐truck pick‐up service for pallets, their landfill costs and carbon footprint. With crates and boxes. Bin sizes range from 10 to 30 timber recycling, their main priorities are re‐use or cubic metres. They also have tray truck options re‐modification. A key feedstock is timber‐ available for timber . packaging waste, such as used pallets, crates and A minimum collection fee is charged for local pick‐ boxes. Building and demolition timber waste also up of pallets and timber packaging waste for a 10‐ represents a high proportion of their timber waste pallet space tray‐truck, collecting within a 10km stream. radius of their site in Dandenong South. As well as timber, the recycling depot accepts a wide variety of other industrial and household Beneficial Outcomes 1 tonne of softwood pallets being repaired and reused equates to a reduction of 0.7 tonnes of SMEs purchasing recycled pallets and boxes could CO2 emissions and 1 tonne diverted from landfill. save money and this creates demand for reused 1 tonne is equivalent to approximately 40 pallets material. based on an average softwood pallet weight of 25kg. Energy and material costs savings are made by purchasing an environmentally friendly remanufactured solution. Source Information Recycling used pallets also mitigates the rising Sustainability Victoria: costs of landfill disposal of timber/pallet waste. http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/ Recycling and re‐purchase of recycled pallets Waste Converters: http/wasteconverters.com.au creates a sustainable cycling loop. National Timber Group Based on the NSW EPA carbon calculator which is Recovered Pallet and Packaging Carbon available at the National Timber Product Calculator: Stewardship Group website: http://www.timberstewardship.org.au/calculator/ Image Credit: Waste converters

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