Timber: The Six Rs
Design & Technology: AQA GCSE, topic 3.3.2
The Six Rs
The six R’s (reduce, refuse, re-use, repair, recycle and rethink) are a good way to determine the effectiveness of timber as an environmentally friendly material.
Reduce
- We should consider reducing the amount of wood we use and cut down.
- We could make products smaller or simply use less wood to help the environment.
Reuse
- Reusing wood and making products from existing discarded furniture is absolutely essential if we are to maintaining the environment which also allows us to give products a new lease of life.
- Too many times furniture is discarded on landfills and these are burnt and destroyed, we could easily have a system where these pieces of furniture are upcycled to prolong the life of wood as a material.
Refuse
- More needs to be done to refuse certain practices.
- Refusing in some instances is important because it makes a statement that we need to stop using certain woods that are near enough extinction which can help to prolong the life of these woods.
Refuse cont.
- When certain trees are brought into the country as saplings, they have to go through a process where they are checked for infections in case of insect infestations which can spread disease across native trees.
The Six Rs
The six R’s (reduce, refuse, re-use, repair, recycle and rethink) are a good way to determine the effectiveness of timber as an environmentally friendly material.
Recycle
- Recycling wood can result in materials like chipboard and MDF.
- These materials are absolutely key in ensuring there is an environmentally friendly approach and materials are being taken care of.
- The only issue with MDF is the amount of dust it creates when being worked on.
Recycle cont.
- Recycling softwood to make a wood filler can be achieved by using the sawdust from the wood and mixing it with wood glue.
- If you use the same sawdust as the wood you are then able to colour match which helps in terms of aesthetics.
Repair
- Many wooden products can be repaired easily.
- Unfortunately, people often discard products if they are broken or no longer need them.
- Wooden products, with the help of sanding, filling and fixing, can be upscaled or fully repaired.
- Essential DIY skills are needed for some projects.
Rethink
- Many wooden products need rethinking completely.
- Materials like bamboo which are strong and very fast growing, offer an alternative despite being slightly more complicated to produce as a sheet material.
- Designers and manufacturers are looking at the use of woods with other materials in order to produce composites.
B&Q
- Companies like B&Q are now offering free wood that would otherwise be discarded.
- This is new modern thinking that shows business stepping in the right direction.
IKEA
- IKEA have ownership of a forest in Romania, which helps it to manage waste and wood more efficiently.
- This initiative is forward thinking and helps to protect the environment.
Test yourself on Timber: The Six Rs
Which of the six R's helps to make a statement about wood sources nearing extinction?
What often happens to timber that is not reused?
What environmentally considerate practice has B&Q adopted?
Where is the forest that IKEA owns and runs?
Why is bamboo such a good/environmentally sound alternative to other timbers?