Doing Good With Wood

At Community Wood Recycling, we want to keep wood in use for as long as possible. We collect waste wood from our clients and sort it to find the best use, so much of it gets a second life through resale, repurposing, and community projects. This doesn’t just reduce the demand for virgin timber and keep CO2 locked up, it supports local economies and provides training and employment opportunities for people who are often excluded from the labour market.

Our service is an alternative to a skip, and when we sort the wood we find lots of amazing material, but much of the material we collect is in a bad state – not surprisingly, since it is, after all, waste. What happens to this when we’ve removed the good stuff?

This material is sent to be chipped. Some of it will be used for animal bedding or made into panel board, but for much of the wood that cannot be reused or repurposed, energy recovery through biomass offers a sustainable end-of-life solution particularly for lower-grade material. By partnering with biomass operators, we ensure that even the poorest wood waste is diverted from landfill and used to generate renewable energy.

In June, our Development Manager Elizabeth Green took part in a trip by the Wood Recyclers Association (WRA) to E.On’s Steven’s Croft wood-fired energy plant near Lockerbie to see for herself how waste wood is turned into energy.

How Does It Work?

Elizabeth explains:

“Our trip to Steven’s Croft was an amazing opportunity to see what happens to the material we send for chipping. After starting with a safety briefing and hearing about about how the plant was built, the people who work there and the community it serves, we put on our PPE and headed to see the first stage of the process – wood, the raw material to power the enormous plant, moving down from the giant storage spaces and along a conveyor belt.

“Although the scale was huge we could see that the feedstock was something very familiar, and it was even possible to glimpse the story behind some of the woodchip with tiny bits of paint on a few pieces. We watched it slowly make its way toward the boiler, and learned about the safety measures in place to prevent sudden outages. Our guide also explained the processes in place to verify the makeup of the combustion materials.

“Then came one of the highlights: going into the enormous building housing the boiler and peering through a thick viewing window into the combustion chamber. A fire fuelled by wood – technologically sophisticated but also one of the oldest ways of releasing the sun’s energy to give humans heat and light. All through the tour we were struck by the enthusiasm and knowledge of our guide and as we made our way through the plant we learned about the cycle of water moving into the boiler, producing steam to spin the turbines and generate electricity and then being condensed so that it can go through the system again.

“Out in the fresh air we saw the output of the huge structure – the relatively small electrical room where behind locked doors power was heading out to the National Grid. Next, we headed to the high-tech control room. Screens showed live data on temperatures, emissions, and energy output. Like everyone we met, the operators clearly took great pride in their work and the whole plant had a very impressive safety culture.

“I was struck that behind this enormous feat of engineering was a group of committed people working toward the shared goal of creating energy from waste material and with strong links to the local community around them. Steven’s Croft is part of a joined-up approach to wood waste. It doesn’t just process waste wood and offcuts from the next door A.W. Jenkinson log yard, it supplies the facility with a district heating system. It was fascinating to see the whole process in action, and to share the visit with fellow wood recyclers from all parts of the industry.

“The visit reinforced the importance of a systemic approach to wood waste that respects the waste hierarchy. From reuse and repair to recycling and recovery, each stage has a role to play in ensuring wood gets used effectively and stays out of landfill. Thank you to the Wood Recyclers Association for organising such an interesting trip.”

Learn more about this topic at:

• How waste-to-energy is shaping the future | E.On Next
• Renewable Energy | Biomass UK

Their background was years of working in the community, offering debt advice and financial coaching to people facing poverty, crisis and instability and supporting people who were in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, dealing with mental health challenges, or long-term unemployed.

As their experience developed, they had come to a powerful realisation: advice alone wasn’t enough. Without a clear pathway into work, many of the people they supported remained stuck and unable to build sustainable, independent lives.

Determined to find a better way, the team began looking for a model that could offer opportunity without being dependent on long-term grant funding. That’s when they discovered Community Wood Recycling; a perfect fit for their vision of combining worthwhile activity with social transformation.

A New Purpose for an Old Jobcentre

They found the ideal location in the heart of Woking: the former Jobcentre. Today, it’s been transformed into the home of The Useful Wood Company. The store is an Aladdin’s cave of reclaimed wood hosting a workshop where reclaimed timber is given new life, and so are people.

As a registered charity, Useful Wood provides a supportive, real-work environment for individuals facing barriers to employment. Participants gain hands-on experience, learn practical woodworking skills, and build the confidence needed to take the next step in their lives.

What Makes Useful Wood Special?

Useful Wood’s origins in financial support work give it a depth of understanding of the challenges faced by the people helped by the charity. The team knows that the journey out of crisis is rarely straightforward, and they’ve built a space that reflects that reality.

Their approach is person-centred, offering structure without pressure, and support without judgement. The people they work with are able to make progress one step at a time. The impact has been outstanding.

If you’d like to know more about the work done by UWC or the kind of products they make and sell, you can visit their website.