The Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) and Wood Panel Industries Federation (WPIF) have expressed disappointment over the government’s decision to keep the wood packaging recycling target unchanged for 2026.
Without a higher target, the trade bodies claim there will be no incentive to segregate and recycle wooden packaging, thereby driving it up the waste hierarchy.
The two Associations had urged the UK Government to increase the target to 55% from 2026, citing ‘inaccuracies in the baseline data’ used to set targets for 2025–2030.
The trade bodies say data inaccuracies have lowered the recycling obligation and reduced demand for Wood Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs), which has been compounded by the removal of the general recycling target.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed to WRA that the target will remain at 46% for 2026 and that the targets for 2027 onwards will be reviewed later next year as planned.
WRA and WPIF have been lobbying since early 2025 for the targets to be increased to 55% from 2026 and subsequent years to 2030.
Mark Hayton, Chair of the WRA, commented: “We need a minimum 55% packaging recycling target from 2026 onwards.”
“Without higher targets, there will be no incentive to segregate and recycle clean packaging waste wood – a trend which is already evident in the latest packaging figures.”
“Delaying until 2027 means another year lost and even less wooden packaging recycled, undermining both the waste hierarchy and the circular economy.”
Last month, the WRA warned that the UK waste wood market remains ‘under significant pressure’, with stockpiles of material still reported across the UK.
CIWM Senior Vice President, Vicki Hughes, Technical Lead on the WRA Board, called the situation ‘unprecedented’ and said recyclers across the country are being affected.
“We had hoped the situation would improve after the summer, and while some sites reopening did help, new breakdowns and extended shutdowns have left everyone with too much material,” Hughes said.
The WRA warned that many wood recyclers have been forced to pause or restrict their intake of waste wood, and that it may take several months before the backlog is cleared and market conditions begin to stabilise.