Tonnes of timber from office fit-outs to be recycled

Consulting firm Edge Environment is partnering with the SMaRT Centre at UNSW to demonstrate how timber from office fit-outs can be converted into a new recyclable product, potentially keeping tonnes of waste out of landfill. The initiative is being supported by a $20,000 innovation grant from the City of Sydney.

Research by the City’s Better Buildings Partnership and Edge Environment shows the average commercial tenancy is vacated or refurbished every six years, leading to tonnes of office fit-out waste winding up in landfill. Around 350,000 tonnes of engineered timber winds up in landfill every year in NSW alone, much of it generated from office strip-outs including workstations, cabinetry and partition systems.

Edge Environment consultant Blake Lindley said office furniture made from materials such as composite timber, which has been laminated or glued, is notoriously difficult to recycle. But Edge Environment’s research has indicated that this office wood composite could be used to produce a useful product.

With this in mind, Edge Environment and the SMaRT Centre are undertaking a project to identify the engineered timbers from office strip-outs and to use this timber to produce non-structural sheeting. With the addition of the City of Sydney grant, Edge Environment will be able to refine the input and recycling process as well as to undertake product testing in partnership with industry.

“This could save thousands of tonnes of fit-out material from landfill,” said City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“We know our community wants to take action on climate change. Supporting this innovative project is just one of the practical steps we’re taking to help reduce our impact on the natural environment.”