A North Wales company has secured a £250,000 investment from a global waste management services group to commercialise its pioneering process for recycling medium-density fibreboard (MDF).

The backing from SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK will allow MDF Recovery to take its technology to market after 6 years of research and development.

Their collaboration follows an Innovate UK project where they worked together on a ‘closed loop’ recycling option for waste MDF. The 2 companies established a pilot plant to refine the process and host demonstrations for potential industrial end-users.

By allowing manufacturers to take the waste MDF back from customers and recover the wood fibre, the technology offers an innovative alternative to landfill or incineration for used MDF products and off-cuts.

Attractive option for the retail sector

MDF Recovery’s solution generates a new secondary material source for the wood/natural fibre industry. Co-founder Craig Bartlett estimates it could recycle between 30,000 to 60,000 tonnes of MDF waste in the UK each year, and almost 3 million tonnes globally.

Craig said:

The SUEZ investment provides a significant boost to MDF Recovery in our quest to commercialise the technology to make single-use MDF a thing of the past. The recovered fibre produced by the process is of the same high quality as fibre obtained from virgin wood and can be used as a direct substitute in the manufacturing process.

The technology can be retro-fitted or designed into new plants and offers a robust solution for reworking waste and increasing the yield at the MDF manufacturing facility.

The business is in discussions with potential customers and partners. The technology could be particularly attractive to the retail sector, which uses large amounts of MDF in shop fittings.

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit and decision document for:

• Operator name: C D Jordan & Son Limited
• Installation name: European Metal Recycling, Dundas Spur
• Permit number: EPR/EP3292HT/V007

We want to know what you think about proposed amendments to the environmental permitting fees and charges schemes, including a general increase of 4.5%. Do you think the increase is justified to cover regulatory costs?

We particularly want to hear from Local Authority Environmental Health regulators, from operators of regulated facilities and their trade associations.

We want to know what you think about a proposal to designate Manor Steps beach, Bournemouth, as a bathing water under the Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC). This proposal follows an application we have received from Bournemouth Borough Council.

We have published evidence of facilities and usage at the site. You can also read the criteria for designation and de-designation of bathing waters.

This consultation will be of interest to the recreation sector, leisure and tourism industries, beach users, environmental campaigners and families.