Carbon Benefits of Recycling Wood Pallets Calculator

1. Carbon Benefits of Recycling Wood Pallets Calculator Stephen Mitchell Sustainability Programme Manager, Timber Development Association Project Manager, National Timber Product Stewardship Group Waste 2012 2nd May 2012 Opal Cove Resort Coffs Harbour, Australia

2. National Timber Product Stewardship Group Researched and consulted

3. Our Strategy: Timber - More Life • Objectives: • Double recovery of post-consumer timber for reuse, recycling and renewable energy • To 1 million tonnes per annum by 2017 • Maximise positive environmental impacts of residual end-of-life timber that is landfilled

4. Strategy Priorities: Timber-More Life • Key Waste Streams: • Wood packaging (C&I) • Wood from demolition (C&D) • Preservative treated timber (C&D) • Wood from manufacturing (C&I) • Actions: • Market development • Education / communications • Well targeted research Largest volume

9. Wood packaging disposal Australia: • ~300,000 tpa disposed to landfill • >120,000 tpa from importing goods • 50% pallets/skids - 50% crates Sources: Hyder (2007) & Mitchell (2008). Available at www.timberstewardship.org.au Sydney Metro Area: • ~140,000 tpa disposed to landfill Source: Disposal based survey of the commercial and industrial waste stream in Sydney done in 2008 by DECCW (now NSW EPA)

10. Wood packaging recovery • Good quality feedstock for reuse, recycling and renewable energy • Australia: • > 15,000 tpa repaired / reused (excl. CHEP/Loscam) • > 100,000 tpa recycled (excl. reuse) • Sydney Metro Area: • Specific quantity unknown but by far the biggest input of pos-consumer timber into organics

11. Why a calculator? • Major clients of recovery operators were asking for measuring carbon emissions • Enviro Pallets had a basic tool • Need more credibility. I.E. • LCA methodology and assumptions reviewed • NGER factors incorporated • needed other recovery options included • DECCW (now EPA) funding

12. Methodology • Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology in line with ISO 14044 • GHG Protocol Standard (Scope 3) • Data supplied by Enviro Pallets, Benedict Recycling, Delta Electricity, Veolia, timber industry, DCCEE (NGERs factors) • Project supported by NSW EPA

14. Scope of calculator • Non-pool wood pallets and packaging • Majority is one-way packaging • Compares carbon landfill disposal to: • reuse and repair • recycling for mulch and animal bedding • renewable energy generation • Options direction and input from DECCW (now NSW EPA)

15. System boundary

16. Emissions from landfilling • Transport • Compaction and covering • Anaerobic degradation • Methane generation • Some recovery and oxidation • Uses current DOCf value of 0.23 for timber • Converted to CO2e (0.67kg CO2e/kg) • O.23 DOCf now DCCEE – was USA lab result

17. Emissions from landfilling • DOCf value – latest research (USA lab results) • DOCf value of 0.0 for radiata pine and blackbutt timber Source: Wang et al (2011) Wood Biodegradation in Laboratory-Scale Landfills Environ. Science & Technology. Volume 45 (16), pp 6864–6871 • Essentially means zero (0) methane generated by these woods in landfills

18. Wood Pallet Reuse • Disassembly of old pallets into components • Reassembly using new and old • Recycling non-repairable pallets

19. Reuse & Repair • Minor energy usage and emissions • Reduced demand for (and transport of) new wood from sawmills • Calculator assumes one more use • Multiple benefits if reused repeatedly

20. Wood Packaging Reuse , Repair & Recycling Facilities – Sydney ANL/Kimbriki SITA Belrose Blacktown Waste Services SITA Seven Hills SITA Ryde CHEP SITA Artarmon ANL/SITA Eastern Creek Pace Pallets SITA Auburn Veolia Horsley Park Bingo Loscam SITA Elizabeth Drive Abbey Pallets Brandown SITA Chullora Veolia Greenacre DD Alexandria ANL Badgerys Creek Benedict Enviropallets SITA Rockdale Glenfield Direct Pallets Pallet repair / exchange Advance Pallets CHEP/Loscam main repair centres SITA Lucas Heights SITA Jacks Gully Camden Soil Mix Wood aggregation / shredding facilities For more timber recycling services try www.BusinessRecycling.com.au & the Directory at www.timberstewardship.org.au

22. Recycling - Shredding Emissions from: • Loading shredder • Shredding • Sizing (i.e. trommeling) • Loading & transport

23. Timber Packaging - Recycling Landscape mulch

24. Timber Packaging - Recycling Poultry bedding: • Australian market >950,000 m3 per year • NSW > 350,000 m3 per year • Growing 4% per annum • Traditional sources – sawdust, shavings, rice hulls harder to get • Shredded packaging and off-cuts used in WA and VIC • NSW trials completed at three farms • Trials and spec. supported by DECCW (now NSW EPA)

25. Recycling - Chicken Bedding

27. Timber Packaging – Renewable Energy

28. Wood replaces NSW black coal • Black coal emissions = 1.07 CO2-e/kWh (DCCEE)

29. Sawdust Energy recovery Energy recovery Sawdust New wood Chicken bedding Mulch Chicken bedding Particleboard

32. Results - Reuse

33. Results - Reuse

34. Results – Animal Bedding

35. Results – Mulch

36. Results – Renewable Energy

38. Conclusions • Calculator supports all non-landfill waste management options • Renewable energy and displacement of fossil fuel combustion is obvious very large benefit • However: “once it’s gone it’s gone” • Calculator supports reuse, recycling and renewable energy

39. Conclusions (cont) • Companies can: • use this data for reporting or • use parameters and assumptions in report (and their specific parameters) for their own circumstances • To help reduce their carbon footprint and increase diversion from landfill.

40. Next Steps • Survey of the key stakeholders completed • Updating the calculator based on feedback received: • particleboard option to be included • certificate type report • Formal launch in late May • Promotion to increase exposure and use.

41. Thank youQuestions?p: 02 8424 3703 e: stephen.mitchell@tdansw.asn.au