Timber - Resource Circular Economy: Opportunities to Reduce Waste Disposal Across the Supply Chain

Due to its flexibility, durability, and appealing visual attraction timber has multiple applications in the construction industry. The amount of wood waste generated from C&D is influenced by the life span of the building materials. In Australia, timber waste is classified into three major categories: untreated timber (Type A), engineered timber products (Type B), and treated timber (Type C). Australia generated 2,369,680 tonnes of timber waste in 2016-17. The share of the C&D sector as the second-largest timber waste generator was almost 612 kt (25.8%), preceding C&I with almost 1,524 kt (64.3 %). Among the jurisdictions, NSW, Vic and Qld had the largest amount of timber waste in total and in the C&D waste stream in 2016-2017. This report identifies the opportunities for reducing waste throughout the timber products lifecycle. Furthermore, these opportunities are eventually conceptualised through a model called Timber-LowMor.