Reduce Your Plastic Waste

With concerns surrounding plastic packaging in the construction supply chain, both TDUK and the National Buying Group have offered guidance and support.

Plastic packaging remains widely used across the building products sector so collaboration will be needed to mitigate the impact of a looming increase in plastic packaging tax

TThe timber trade is a £10 billion industry in the UK with the members of Timber Development UK accounting for 85% of that industry, encompassing timber importers, merchants, agents and manufacturers. With such a wide array of member interests, every facet of the packaging waste regulations are bound to be encountered in some form or other.

Packaging is an important component for the safe transport of products, including timber, yet it is also a major contributor to waste production in the UK. To tackle this problem, and incentivise better, more efficient use of packaging, including reuse and recycling, the UK Government has introduced some major legislative changes.

Plastic remains the most commonly used packaging for construction products and is being targeted by HMRC’s Plastic Packaging Tax, which came into force on the 1 April 2022. The tax applies a charge of £200 per tonne to all plastic without a minimum of 30% recycled content. DEFRA’s plans to bring in Extended Producer Responsibility legislation in 2024 will incentivise the industry’s supply chain to reduce its overall packaging output, especially plastic packaging, or to adopt recycled materials where a significant reduction in volume may not be possible.

Timber Development UK, to help members get to grips with these changes, commissioned Valpak to do a ‘deep dive’ into what this means for the timber supply chain. Some of the key insights included in the report are:

• Under the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations, more businesses will be captured and they will face greater cost, as compared with the current regime • Businesses with a turnover equal to, or greater than, £1 million, and handling packaging of 25 tonnes or more, must complete bi-annual reporting • The government predicts that under this new regime the overall financial costs for producers will rise from £230 million to £1.7 billion, as it seeks to recover 100% of recycling packaging costs (up from 7%) • The new Plastic Packaging Tax, which came into force on 1 April 2022, means producers or importers of plastic packaging that contains less than 30% recycled plastic will be taxed an additional £200 per tonne. • This tax applies to all business importing or manufacturing 10 tonnes or more of finished plastic packaging components within a 12-month period. • Businesses that import or manufacture less than 10 of taxable packaging over a 12-month period must keep detailed records to prove to HMRC they do not qualify for the tax • Businesses can mitigate costs from these changes by making use of easily recycled packaging, recovering packaging waste themselves, of through reusable packaging.

Readers of the report will gain insight on how they may be able to mitigate the impact of the change in regulations on their businesses, as well as the timeline for change. The report aims to first summarise the current packaging waste regulations and how they affect the members of Timber Development UK regarding specific products we know are handled, before turning to the prospective changes to the packaging waste regulations. These upcoming changes, which are still prospective at the moment, otherwise known as ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’, encompass a marked change in the regulations.

In summary, the report states: “The current packaging waste regulations, under the principle of shared producer responsibility, is a complex system with which members of Timber Development UK interact at multiple junctures. These regulations will see significant change in the coming years, with dates for reform set in 2024. Some of the exact details of the reform are not yet certain, but the nature of that reform is. “This change comes in three main forms: changes to financial burdens for packaging producers, changes to the compliance system Timber Development UK members interface with, and changes to the kind of data Timber Development UK members will be required to collect. With these provisional changes explained, this document has also attempted to explain the ways in which Timber Development UK members can mitigate the impact of changes to their business operations and the earliest possible dates by which they will see these changes come into force. Following on from this discussion, this document has also given a brief overview of the Plastic Packaging Tax which came into force on the 1 April 2022, and some of the implications of this tax for Timber Development UK members.”

Independent merchants

The National Buying Group (NBG) is to accelerate its talks with packaging suppliers as it steps up efforts to reduce plastic packaging in the construction supply chain and the potential tax impact on independent merchants. A recent NBG Sustainability and Cost Reduction Forum meeting, attended by both Partners and Suppliers, was given the results of an in-depth audit of a builder’s merchant that is facing a potential tax bill in excess of £75,000.

The same audit calculated that suppliers of plastic packaging to Kellaway could be set for an even greater increase. With suppliers deemed to have the greatest influence on the packaging set for an increase of somewhere between a 10 and 30-fold increase on current prices, the audit calculated a potential jump from £3,000 in 2022 to a staggering £196,000 come 2024.

Bob Fleetwood of Kellaway Building Supplies, who is leading NBG’s plastics reduction team along with Jasmine King from NBG’s Central Team, says the audit looked at all areas of the merchant’s activity, both indoors and in the yard, to build up a picture of what merchants are facing in terms of their tax liability. The audit identified multiple areas that require further examination, including the use of plastic packaging for branding purposes, the potential over-use of stretch wrap to secure product to pallets and the use of dumpy bags for transporting aggregate.

“The audit looked at everything from hand tools to roofing felt, insulation and timber along with all packaging types from branded packaging to bubble wrap, stretch and shrink wrap,” Mr. Fleetwood explains. We now need to understand why manufacturers of building products use plastic packaging, what alternatives can be put in place, such as recycled plastic packaging and, perhaps most importantly, where it can be eliminated altogether with no impact on product quality, transportation or merchant yard safety.

Fleetwood says the audit has given NBG a much better understanding of where the problem areas are. “We will never be able to eliminate plastic packaging entirely, but the audit did identify areas for reduction. There are clearly some products where it is entirely unnecessary to use plastic packaging, such as spades and other tools, or where it is for branding only, such as stone paving which is consolidated on wooden stillages.

Earlier in the year, Nick Oates, managing director at National Buying Group, said: “With merchant businesses carrying the cost burden, ideally redesigning packaging to eliminate or reducing plastic content is best, if they are to avoid a financial cliff-edge. If this is not possible the next best choice, will be switching to packaging containing 30% recycled content or more, all which must be supported by providing evidence based accurate product data. We’ve assessed one of our merchant partners, Kellaway Building Supplies, to try and understand the potential impact and the findings are very concerning. Our assessment is that a mixed merchant with 15 branches could be looking at an increase in the tax burden of circa 2,400%, from circa £5,000 to £105,000.”

The full Valpak report, The current and prospective packaging waste regulations: As they apply to the timber trade, is free for download at  https://ttf.co.uk/download/the-current-and-prospectivepackaging- waste-regulations You can find out more about the NBG audit at  www.nationalbuyinggroup.com

WE MAKE THE UK’S WIDEST RANGE OF STORAGE OPTIONS FOR TIMBER MERCHANTS

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CALL US NOW FOR YOUR FREE SITE SURVEY ON 01543 278123 OR EMAIL sales@stakapal.co.uk

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BETTY’S LANE, NORTON CANES, CANNOCK, STAFFORDSHIRE,WS11 9NZ

New Timber Talent

NMITE has launched two short courses in Timber Technology Engineering Design to upskill and reskill UK built environment professionals.

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ince opening in September 2021, the New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering (NMITE) now offers both a BEng and MEng in Integrated Engineering, and is launching two new short CPD courses. Delivered in partnership with Timber Development UK and Edinburgh Napier University, the first course started on 26 September 2022.

Timber Technology Engineering Design 1 (TED 1) is a 12-week blended course composed of online distance learning and three oncampus challenge sprints of one week each. The Timber Technology Engineering Design 2 (TED 2) 12-week course will begin in January 2023, for those who have completed TED 1.

Both courses aim to build a community of knowledge in timber as a building material, contribute to the UK’s understanding of sustainable building, and provide a generation of timber professionals with an understanding of the principles of timber design construction and engineering methods within the context of the built environment. NMITE says, as well as in the UK it expects the courses to attract attention internationally in regions where timber construction is prevalent.

Associate professor Aghlab Al-Attili, academic lead says “We have developed the courses to appeal to a wide range of Built Environment Professionals, working full or part-time in architecture firms and construction companies including designers, architectural assistants or those involved in technical sales. There is currently no CPD course that directly addresses timber in construction on this scale of detail with the same degree of academic rigour and associated learning techniques which address the market need.”

NMITE’s new Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) building is now in operation. Robert Hairstans who was appointed as CATT’s founding director in March 2021 to lead the development and delivery of the building and to help establish it as the leading national location in timber education said: “We are delighted to see how fast things have moved in the last year. These two new courses will reach new audiences, outside our Integrated Engineering BEng and MEng students, attracting attendees from the UK and internationally. It shows both the speed at which NMITE can move, the role it can play in delivering both degree programmes and short courses, and therefore the impact we will have in timber education.” NMITE’s vision is to deliver adifferent model of engineering higher education developing work-ready, talented engineers. It aims to recruit a diverse cohort, including learners who may not have considered engineering as a career. These learners won’t be studyingengineering, instead they’ll be learning how to become engineers. NMITE’s curriculumbrings the engineering disciplines together and integrates the liberal arts and the interpersonal skills needed by today’s employers to tackle the world’s problems.

“Right now, we have a really incredible opportunity for learners to get on the ground floor of this new course, and become part of a leading group within the future of timber construction in the UK,” says Professor Robert Hairstans. “As the first course of its kind, Timber TED offers the most well-rounded education on all elements of timber construction available in the UK, helping understand the journey of wood all the way from tree to high performing construction product. We are also close to securing funding to support the tuition fees of some pioneer learners. By registering early you increase your chance to get into the course, and to get some additional help towards your fee from our backers.”

Timber TED 2, the second of these courses, covers design, construction, technology, and manufacture. It’s set to become available in early 2023. Both Timber TED courses take a blended learning approach of online and in-person teaching at the new purpose built NMITE campus in Hereford formed itself for advanced timber technologies.

“We are delighted to have been able to work so closely with NMITE and Edinburgh Napier University in the development of such an important series of courses,” says Tabitha Binding, TDUK’s head of education and engagement. “There is a huge skills crisis in the construction sector, especially when you consider the volume of work needed for the industry to achieve net zero by 2050. This covers what was clearly a gap in the market around timber engineering and design education. These courses will not only provide fundamental skills for those looking to expand their knowledge, but also futureproof their skill set within a climate crisis calling out for more sustainable design.”

Handloaded timber solutions from Stakapal

Whatever your timber storage requirements are - Stakapal offer a complete range of racking solutions tailored to meet your individual picking requirements.

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ost warehouse facilities will have dedicated pedestrian zones that are separate from busy areas that regularly utilise forklifts and other mechanical machinery. Stakapal manufacture a choice of either horizontal or vertical storage systems that are specifically designed to meet your operational requirements. For hand-loaded storage and selection of a range of softwoods, hardwoods, timber profiles and decorative mouldings in relatively small quantities we offer the following options:

Pigeon Hole Racking

Pigeon Hole Racking is a horizontal storage system which gives you the capacity to store and select a variety of differing lengths of long products. Your range is stored in separate compartments that are divided by vertical beams that can either be fixed in place or adjustable dependent upon your individual requirements. The 50mm pitch of our post section ensures maximum adjustability making this an extremely versatile storage option. We also offer customers the option of an additional raised storage area above the racks which is accessible by a side staircase with hand rails. Loading gates can also be manufactured where appropriate and the system can be supplied with a fully decked finish or left prepared ready to fit your own floor at a later date.

Vertical Storage/A Frame Racking

Opting for our Vertical Storage/A Frame Racking could ultimately save you valuable warehouse space. Available in either a single-sided configuration for storing against a wall or a double-sided configuration dependent upon your floor area.

This type of system as the name suggests enables you to store a selection of products vertically with the item’s length resting on a sloped frame shaped like an ‘A’. With a range of differing frame heights, you can store any product length up to 6m. Standard bay widths are 2700mm or 1350mm which can be separated into infinitely adjustable compartments using either D dividers or divider arms.

With over 55 years’ experience of manufacturing storage solutions for the timber industry, Stakapal are full members of SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association) which means our products have been designed, manufactured and installed to rigorously defined standards. We offer a range of Cantilever Racking and Pallet Racking solutions as well as a full range of Warehouse Racking Systems.

Call us for your free site survey on  01543 278123, email  sales@stakapal.co.uk or visit  www.stakapal.co.uk

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Flexibility

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Just like Kevin, Timber Connection know how important flexibility is in business today. In an ever-changing landscape we’re adapting to trading conditions before your very eyes, ensuring we’ll have what you want exactly when you want it.

From forward ordering to just in time deliveries, from consignment call off deals to ex quay and on water options, we have the solutions.

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