As part of Kamps Pallets’ commitment to environmental sustainability, we turn wood waste that is unsuitable for landscape mulch into biomass used by energy plants. By converting waste to energy we are able to power cities, schools, factories and more.
Wood waste that cannot be used as landscape mulch, such as plywood, laminates, particle boards, and painted or stained wood, is ground up similar to mulch and shipped off to local companies that are able to use this as an energy source.
Biomass fuels provided about 5% of the primary energy used in the United States in 2016. Of that 5%, about 48% was from biofuels, 41% was from wood and wood-derived biomass (that’s us!), and about 11% was from the biomass in municipal waste.
The scrap wood market has changed dramatically with depressed prices for biomass products and stricter controls on acceptable wood products for ground mulch. Biomass is expected to be about twice as expensive as natural gas, slightly more expensive than nuclear power, and much less expensive than solar panels. Researchers are trying to develop ways to use more biomass for fuel as the surplus in the market continues to rise. This is attributed to more imported products from foreign countries on material, such as plywood block pallets, that cannot be reused in our market. It continues to drive the biomass market price down, even though the costs to process these materials has not changed.
At Kamps Pallets, we do more than just talk the talk when it comes to environmental sustainability. We track our efforts to preserve our resources and encourage our partners and customers to do the same! Through sustainable practices of both ends of the business relationship, we can work together to create a greener industry and a better world. Converting waste to energy is one more way we accomplish this.
