Recycled MDF

WRAP has commissioned a project to compare products manufactured using recycled medium density fibreboard (MDF) with those made from virgin wood flour.

The Scottish firm Impact Laboratories will conduct an extensive test programme to compare the quality of wood plastic composites (WPCs) made of recycled MDF and plastics with WPCs currently on the market. It will also examine the economic and environmental impacts of using the recycled material.

Large amounts of MDF are sent to landfills every year and wood flour can be expensive and difficult to source, so recycling MDF may result in both environmental and economic benefits. As Gareth Boyles, Manufacturing Development Officer at WRAP observes: "This project aims to show that waste MDF can be a valuable resource in the manufacture of products with a market value."

WPCs can be substituted for natural lumber in many marketable products, including deck floors, garden furniture and siding. A strong market for WPCs already exists in the US and the market is currently expanding in Europe.