Sitting on a couch in an office can be very comfortable, just as being sheltered against rain or sunlight in your house feels safe. To have these goods and services in place, wood and timber is required to deliver a couch or a roof. Timber is produced from wood which is extracted by cutting down trees that are seasoned to produce timber suitable for the market. Along the value chain, there are chops and chunks of wood that become useless in the process and eventually, waste materials. Wood waste is harmful to our environment if not handled properly. Yet, wood waste has value that may be harnessed into resources.
The Zimbabwe Eastern Highlands provide about 90% of the country’s timber. About 70,000 tonnes of sawdust is produced annually. This figure is a threat to the environment and economically, it is inefficient. Wood waste concentrates at timber processing factories such as plywood mills and saw mills. It is influenced by the diameter of logs being processed, saw type and product specification. Sawdust, off-cuts, trims and shavings are some of the types of wood waste generated from timber production.
As a result of the hazards and risks that wood waste poses on the environment and humans, including the business efficiency trade-offs, entities are now innovating means of recovering matter and value out of the wood waste. Allied Timbers engineers developed means to incinerate sawdust in order to produce steam for energy production to meet their energy needs in drying kiln and other operational purposes. Sawdust is biomass matter which can be used as fuel to produce heat or electricity. Most wood waste can be used to fuel boilers and produce steam to generate electricity. Sawdust can also be used to produce briquettes. Habourside Traders based in Mutare developed an initiative which converts sawdust waste into briquettes, a source of fuel that can be used by communities against charcoal. It engaged Border Timbers and other timber production companies to collect their wood waste for briquettes production.
Other applications of wood waste include mulching, landscaping and paper making. Mulch is matter spread over plants or soil to enrich or insulate the soil while compost is decayed organic matter used as fertilizer. Sawdust and wood pallets can be used to mulch gardens and farms. They can also be decomposed to produce compost or manure, organic fertilizer that can be used to add nutritional value to plants and soil. Animals require bedding to provide cushioning and good rest. Wood shavings are soft and warm while sawdust is finer than wood shavings and highly absorbent. Both materials help to insulate livestock against cold and drafts and they also absorb moisture to keep their habitat dry. Wood shavings and saw dust best suit habitat housing for horse, goats, sheep, cows and poultry.
Our homes are our dreams. Wood chips can be used for landscaping as they can suppress weeds, retain soil moisture and improve appearance. They can also regulate soil temperatures and bring in a natural look. Wood chips can also be used to prevent mud and dust through serving as matter for crafting path ways. Pulping is another solution on tackling wood waste through paper making using wood chips generated from saw mills and furniture manufacturing.
Re-use and recycling of wood waste provides diverse opportunities both to the environment and human development. Harnessing wood waste diverts waste materials away from landfills. This prevents pollution and ecological damage, on the other side, it also controls climate change fuelling by limiting emissions which arise from landfills. Heat and electricity can be generated from burning wood waste biomass to produce energy out of steam. This initiative strikes energy saving opportunities and sustainability through conservation of resources by implementing a circular model. To action wood waste harnessing initiatives, there is need for human capital. Diverse green jobs and opportunities emanate from the movement through the development and operation of industries which work on harnessing value out of wood waste.
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