Project turns vineyard waste into reusable timber solution

A pilot project to reuse vineyard trellis posts has been launched in South Australia, marking a step towards advancing a circular economy for treated timber.

The National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life (NCTDDL) — along with Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and Wine Australia — launched its Vineyard Post Reuse Pilot as part of the Timber Circularity Project in McLaren Vale.

The pilot is a practical trial testing how end-of-life treated vineyard posts can be recovered, processed and reused in a commercially and environmentally viable way.

The launch marks a milestone in the ongoing collaboration between key partners Wine Australia, Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

“Together with our partners in both the forestry and viticulture sectors, we are developing practical pathways for the reuse of treated posts and other end-of-life timber products, demonstrating what collaboration across sectors, in research, industry and government can achieve,” said Professor Tripti Singh, Director of the NCTDDL.

“There will not be one single recovery solution for posts. A diverse range of options from small mobile solutions to large-scale technologies will be required to ensure a shift towards a net positive future.”

The pilot builds on groundwork undertaken through the Timber Circularity Project, including mapping the volume and condition of unused wood resources, assessing national regulations and logistics challenges, and evaluating potential recovery solutions.

Solutions for problematic waste

With additional funding from the SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions, as part of the South Australian Wine Recovery Program, the FABAL Group will undertake the pilot which features a mobile processing unit that removes fasteners such as clips, staples and nails, then cuts the posts to size using a guillotine.

This process avoids hazardous sawdust and prepares the posts for reuse as agricultural fencing or landscape timber.

Ashley Keegan, CEO of the FABAL Group, highlighted the practical benefits of the pilot.

“Our goal is to convert a problematic vineyard waste stream into a product that others are willing to confidently use,” Keegan said.

The reuse of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated vineyard posts also has the potential to save the wine industry up to $3000 per hectare in disposal costs.

The pilot is one of several being planned to test other options in locations around Australia.

Image caption: The Timber Circularity Project pilot launch. Image: Supplied