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Wood Waste Inventory
Citation:
Zimmer, A., K. Weitz, A. Padhye, S. Sifleet, AND G. Helena-Solo. Wood Waste Inventory. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-18/262, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Given the widespread use of wood in our built environment, the primary objective of this report is to develop an inventory of wood production and consumption, and quantify the amount entering the waste stream and remaining in service in the continental United States. A mass flow approach was used to estimate wood waste generated and wood remaining in service for each study year from 1900 to 2065. The approach used to develop the wood waste inventory can be repeated for other types of materials to estimate the quantities of these other materials that are in service or were generated as waste. Estimated amounts of wood in service or generated coupled with projections of future consumption, provide valuable insight into potential community/regional and national opportunities for more efficient materials management.
Description:
An inventory of wood production and consumption was developed to quantify the amount entering the waste stream and remaining in service in the continental United States. A mass flow approach was used to estimate wood waste generated and wood remaining in service for each study year from 1990 to 2065. The approach used to develop the wood waste inventory can be repeated for other types of materials to estimate the quantities of these other materials that are in service or were generated as waste. Estimated amounts of wood in service or generated coupled with projections of future consumption, provide valuable insight into potential opportunities for more efficient materials management (e.g., to meet consumption demands, wood products could be sourced through reclamation of landfills instead of traditional natural resource extraction).