Turning Waste MDF into Profit
24th July 2024
One of the biggest users of Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) in the USA is the ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture sector. Loved by both consumers and manufacturers RTA furniture is both affordable and can be mass produced without the need for skilled labour, but it presents a number of significant environmental challenges.
In this article MDF Recovery look at the issues around handling waste MDF from the RTA sector and how, using the right solution, we can reduce its environmental impact and turn it into a profitable revenue stream.
What happens to waste MDF
Manufacturing Waste
During the initial stages of production, large sheets of MDF are cut to specific sizes and shapes which leaves behind offcuts and small irregular pieces which cannot be reused. Although businesses try to minimise these offcuts it is thought that between 5 and 10% of MDF is wasted during the production process.
Currently many manufacturers use waste handling organisations who collect the waste MDF and send it directly to landfill or incinerate it rather than recycle.
Consumer Waste
Currently when a piece of RTA furniture has come to the end of its useful life consumers take it to the local waste disposal site where it will be either sent to landfill or, if facilities are in place, it will be sorted accordingly and incinerated to produce energy.
In both these scenarios wood fibres, which could be reused, are lost, increasing the use of landfill, raising CO2 emissions from burning, and increasing the reliance on virgin wood supplies to meet consumer furniture demands.
Impact on costs
Disposal of waste through landfill or incineration can be expensive.
Government and local authorities are trying to reduce the amount of waste disposed of in this way and are therefore imposing higher charges, or in some circumstances taxes. These costs are naturally passed on by manufacturers to consumers which makes RTA furniture more expensive, and potentially reduces demand, significantly impacting profitability.
In addition, virgin timber prices continue to fluctuate and although prices have dropped since the high points of 2020 to 2022 there continues to be an upward trend. This has meant that the cost of new MDF board is making the cost of manufacture more expensive.
How to turn waste MDF into profit
Whilst better production planning, improved mechanisation and more advanced production techniques have helped RTA furniture manufacturers keep costs down, these have not been profit making solutions as the problem of MDF waste remains.
For some companies using an onsite incinerator to produce energy needed to run their businesses has been one solution, but this brings with it a host of other issues. The cost to install the incinerators and associated infrastructure as well as the need to keep within environmental standards has meant that there is a low return on investment with minimal effect to the bottom line.
So what is the alternative?
Until recently there hasn’t been a solution, but with improvements in technology, a number of recycling solutions are coming online that can be added directly into the production process.
These processes aim to recover the wood fibre from offcuts so the recovered wood fibres can either be returned into the MDF manufacturing process or used in other applications.
Leading the charge to recycle MDF, MDF Recovery has developed a patented new recycling process that gently separates wood fibres from contaminants such as glues and resins.
Waste MDF is directly fed into the recovery process which in return delivers clean wood fibres which can be reused or repurposed. This represents the opportunity for RTA companies to become both a customer and a supplier of MDF manufacturers, delivering both reduced costs and a new revenue stream from what was previously an expense.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about how MDF Recovery can help you turn waste MDF into a new revenue stream contact the team via our website to find out more.