Resources of post-consumer wood waste originating from the construction sector in Poland

• Author's method for quantification of post-consumer wood waste reserves in Poland.
• In Poland construction sector is the biggest producer of post-consumer wood waste.
• In 2013 the amount of post-consumer wood waste from construction was 3.4 M m3.
• Post-consumer wood waste from construction is 10% in relation to wood harvesting.

The use of wood and its derivatives in construction is in line with contemporary societies’ drive to use natural resources and to lead an ecological lifestyle. A characteristic feature of wood as a raw material is the fact that it is the only major raw material fully reproduced by nature, and at the end of their life cycle, products made of wood may be recycled many times over or used for energy generation. In addition, such products biodegrade relatively quickly. This article presents the results of research aimed at determining the volume of resources of post-consumer wood waste created by the construction sector in Poland in 2013. Since there is no information on the market concerning such waste, the authors suggested their own methodical solution based on the concept of product life cycle. The research showed that potential amount of post-consumer wood waste originating from construction exceeded 3.4 million m3, of which 85% was sawnwood waste, 11% waste from wood-based materials, and 4% roundwood waste.