Changes to Hazardous Wood Waste

Changes to Hazardous Wood Waste

Following five years of work to clarify which waste wood items are potentially hazardous, the Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) have welcomed plans by the Environment Agency to withdraw RPS 250 on September 1st.

Introduced in July 2021, Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) 250 currently allows potentially hazardous ‘amber’ waste wood items from the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream to be moved and processed as non-hazardous. However, from September 1st of this year, the Environment Agency has confirmed this will be withdrawn. 

The withdrawal means that certain kinds of potentially hazardous waste wood from pre-2007 buildings, which can currently be sent for recycling or recovery under the RPS, will no longer be accepted at wood recycling sites. They’ll only be accepted if tested to show they are not hazardous by being sent off for a simple test.

WRA have created a helpful toolkit with guides and materials to help you prepare for the withdrawal. You can find the document by clicking here.