Wood waste in Europe is produced on a large scale. Production from all 28 European Union countries accounts for around 50.2 Mt. In many countries, wood waste management does not fully utilize this potential, which is in part due to the lack of proper law and regulations. Currently there is no uniform policy on wood waste in the European Union. There is also a lack of accurate statistics on the production and use of this waste. The aim of the study was to estimate the spatial distribution of wood waste from three different sources in the NUTS−2 regions. The total potential of wood waste from i) municipal waste is 24.33 Mt, ii) from wood industry – 5.6 Mt, and iii) from demolition and construction – 19.17 Mt. The total potential of this waste is about 7,85% of estimated waste biomass and by−products of the European Union, which is a significant fraction that can be recycled or used in biofuel production. Proper use of this potential can have a significant impact on the development of the bio−economy sector in all associated countries, which directly translates into the achievement of climate change mitigation targets.

Sylwan 162 (7): 563-571