Since many of today's buildings, extensions and gardens are built using wood there is so much waste.
As we are all trying to be more economical and kind to the environment we must try to find ways to recycle this waste wood.
Each year 10 million tonnes of wood is produced in the UK for disposal.
At present only 1.
5 million tonnes is recycled.
The rest is sent to landfill sites.
Land filling organic materials such as wood leads to emissions of methane which is 21 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide.
Recycling wood offers a massive save on the environment and a real opportunity to reduce landfills, reduce emissions to the atmosphere and to improve the economic vitality of the country.
Below are 5 examples what we can do to help the environment no matter how much wood we use.
Use as a Weed Killer Most people are unaware the sawdust can be as effective as weed killer.
Just spread a little into paths and crevices where your weeds tend to grow.
As the sawdust decays it will create a soil condition that weeds cannot grow in.
In particular the sawdust from walnut and cedar trees will work the most effective.
Sawdust is also quite good at keeping the moisture in your soil which will help with plant growth.
Bedding for farm and house animals Clean fine wood chip or sawdust is used anyway for bedding of animals from guinea pigs to horses.
If you don't already have any animals that local pet shops or stables would be happy to take your recyclable waste.
When using with animals though, just make sure it is clean and free from any harmful oxidants or substances.
Make into burnable briquettes All wood chip and sawdust is obviously a burnable fuel so can be used to heat your home or workshop in the winter.
Some commercial timber merchants and wood builders will recycle their waste wood by compressing it into small briquettes and bagged up.
This process uses a compacting machine to crush and then compact the wood.
This is a very cheap and great way to tidy up the workshop whilst using recycled fuel.
Garden paths and winter walkways Wood chips can make a great decor to your garden as either plant coverings or creating walkways.
It;s soft and safe and is also very good at preventing erosion, great for areas in the garden where the children are playing.
Wood chip and sawdust can also be used on paths in the winter to help when it is slippery from snow or ice.
Using sawdust as a floor cleaner Sawdust is fantastic at absorbing moisture including substances difficult to remove from your floor such and oil, diesel and other fluids concerned with motor vehicles.
Rather than washing these substances away they can be absorbed into the sawdust a lot easier and more quickly and then disposed of properly.