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Choose sustainable materials for sheds and furniture

Some popular woods for sheds and garden furniture are harvested unsustainably – and sometimes illegally – from ancient forests.

Sustainable timber products can be found easily in high street retailers by looking for a label from a reliable forest certification scheme, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC), both of which also guarantee that timber is legally sourced.

You could also ask your retailer if they stock certified timber products. The Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement lists reliable certification schemes and examples of labels on its website.

• Find out more about choosing sustainable materials - Greener DIY
• Sustainable wood labels - find out more
• Forest certification schemes and their labels Opens new window

Cut out greenhouse heating

If you’re using a greenhouse to grow your own fruit and vegetables, you’re already doing something for the environment by reducing the energy needed to transport and store food for the shops.

However, heating a greenhouse in the winter months can be wasteful. Greenhouses are poorly insulated and producing the energy used to heat them contributes to climate change.

Taking care when setting up and using your greenhouse could eliminate the need for winter heating altogether:

• keep your greenhouse’s glass clean, especially where panes overlap, as even normal grime will dramatically reduce light levels and cut down on free heating from sunlight
• place your greenhouse in a bright spot that gets sun all day and isn’t shaded by trees or walls
• a lean-to greenhouse that shares a wall with your house will need less heating
• free-standing greenhouses with the lower part made of brick or timber conserve heat better than all-glass models
• seal gaps around poorly-fitting panes or doors to stop heat escaping
• consider moving less hardy plants indoors for the winter instead of heating the whole greenhouse for their sake
  

Choose coatings carefully

Varnishes, paints and wood treatments used on fences and outdoor furniture often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which cause air pollution linked to health problems.

When you are choosing a paint, varnish or wood treatment, try to find the one with the lowest impact possible for the job you are doing:

• product labels should show the VOC content: choose the option with the lowest VOC content
• ‘natural’ or ‘all natural’ paints, milk paints and white washes have a lower impact than ordinary paint
• check to see if there is a hazard warning on the product label - if you have the choice, choose a product without a hazard warning
• dispose of paints, varnishes and wood treatments properly, as they can be hazardous - contact your council for guidance on disposal
  

• Find out more about paints and coatings - Greener DIY
• Disposal of hazardous waste

Use reclaimed and recycled materials

Using reclaimed or recycled materials will help save raw materials and energy used to make new items, and reduce waste:

• if you’re planning decking or wooden planters, consider using reclaimed timber from a timber yard
• improvise plant containers from interesting or unusual discarded objects such as baths, sinks or old copper pans
• choose reclaimed cast iron ornaments, if possible
• look out for products labelled as using recycled wood, metal or plastic

Encourage wildlife with your shed or garage

Encourage moss and other plants to grow on the roof of your shed or garage – flat roofs are particularly well suited. A living roof can:

• insulate the room below, saving energy on heating and cooling
• provide a habitat for insects and other wildlife
• improve the appearance of the building

Sheds and other garden buildings can be used to create space for wildlife in other ways, for example by putting up nesting boxes or encouraging climbing plants.

If you cannot download the PDF file via the following link then you can request a copy free from: Natural England, PO BOX 1995, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7XX

Telephone: 0870 1214 177

• Download English Nature guide 'Living Roofs' (PDF document, 907K) Opens new window
• Help with PDF files
• Encouraging wildlife in your garden

The wider issue

Fuel burned to heat greenhouses adds to our emissions of carbon dioxide – the main greenhouse gas.

Illegal logging of rainforest hardwoods contributes to deforestation, which currently accounts for 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.

• Pressures on the natural world