The disposal of wood waste in Germany is one of the main problems not only for the wood preservation industry but also for all concerned with wood waste. Data on characteristics and quantity of wood waste are still needed. Based on criterions given in a previous paper (IRG/WP 93-50006), several assortments have been characterized with regard to their hazardous potential and their logistical aspects. Results show that mixed assortments are those with the highest quantities. Each year about 2 Mio t of wood from demolition of buildings and from building sites have to be disposed. This accounts much more than the whole field of timber from landscape (ca. 220.000 t/a), crossties (ca. 6085.000 t/a) and poles (ca. 25.000 t/a). Timber from landscape, however, has a high hazardous potential and is hard to collect because of its broad distribution (e.g. private households). For assortments with small annual quantities (e.g. cooling towers, wooden silos) specific disposal structures are not realistic. At present most of the assortments cannot be reused or recycled either due to their hazardous potential or to their unfavourable disposal structures. For timber from landscape as well as for timber from demolition of buildings incineration in specific plants should be preferred.

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