How And Why Is Wood Recycled?
When you’re trimming a tree or bush, the last thing you’re thinking about is “Is wood recyclable?” Well, it is recyclable and can offer loads of different benefits when re-purposed after it’s been cut away from the source. Wood waste falls into a variety of different categories and when it’s cut free of a tree or bush, most people don’t take those categories into account. Most folks tie it up and toss it out next to the garbage bin for trash day, but there’s better ways to deal with wood waste and we’ll teach you what those are.
The Categories of Wood Waste
Wood waste isn’t just about what you accumulate while you do your landscaping, it also includes all of the different types of wood in your home. You can include old, broken furniture in your wood waste as well and ensure that it’s turned into something productive, rather than filling up the landfill where it’s not needed. The main categories of wood waste include yard waste, untreated wood, painted or treated wood, and home goods like toys and other wood products from around the house. Clearly, the most straightforward type of wood waste, as well as the most common will be yard refuse.
What to do With Yard Clippings
As we’ve discussed before, to have a stable compost pile that works as a tiny ecosystem in your backyard and helps you break down unwanted refuse, you’ll need plenty of “browns” or carbohydrates to add to the pile. In that same vein, A1 Organics will always be requesting wood waste in order to keep our compost piles healthy, and to be able to turn it into excellent landscaping product that helps foster the growth of plants all over our state. Even if you’ve created your own compost pile, it’s unlikely that you’ll need all of the wood waste you create, and you’ll be left with loads of extra that, obviously, we’re more than willing to accept. Handing wood refuse like trimmed branches, unused scrap lumber, broken wood pieces and anything else that comes from your yard and qualifies as wood. The best part about yard waste is that it’s the most easily recyclable refuse you make and doesn’t have to travel to another country, get reprocessed and become more expensive for companies to use as a material to stay out of our landfills and encourage green, closed-cycle behavior in the community.
Recycling Untreated Wood
Untreated wood is still great for recycling. Scrap lumber of all kinds, including wood scraps from home improvement projects of all kinds and other wood that’s classified as “untreated,” work perfectly and are always best kept out of the landfill. Because it’s untreated, the place you donate it to for recycling can use it to recycle in the same way they would yard refuse. It’s lumber and other wood bought from lumber stores that you can actually recycle.
Recycling Painted or Treated Wood
If you’ve got quite a lot of treated or painted wood, and you’re looking to recycle it, it’s not possible. Many people claim that this wood can be recycled, but that simply implies that they’ll be burning it as firewood, which is actually more dangerous for the environment than using it in other ways. In fact, painted, treated, pressure treated varnished and just finished wood in general cannot be recycled in any way because the chemicals in the wood treatment render it unsafe to put in your garden. For example, paints and varnishes usually contain chemicals like lead, teflon, mercury and more. Additionally, all pressure treated lumber created before the year 2004 contains a toxic compound called CCA that has chromium and arsenic in the mixtures. Obviously, these chemicals and compounds aren’t necessarily something you want in your eyes or lungs, and your plants won’t want it near or in their soil. If you have this wood, it is unfortunately, better suited for the trash bin, as you won’t be able to safely burn it, cut it without an eye and mouth mask, and you’ll need to wash the residue from the wood off your skin before you’re even done dealing with it. In addition to avoiding trying to add it to your compost pile, avoid sanding it and handling it too much in general, as it won’t do much good.
What Does Recycled Wood Get Turned Into?
Recycled wood has so many varied purposes and is turned into so many different, useful products. In some cases, recycled wood is used as soil conditioner, others are made into paper pulp and some are turned into sewage sludge. It’s even processed to be used as bedding options as well. Wood biomass is often used as fuel to create energy and steam. At times, it’s even turned into engineered wood, plywood and particleboard. It’s also made into mulch and landscaping materials at times. Thus repurposing these supposedly unwanted wood waste products is totally worth the time as it solves so many problems that using good, fresh wood for would be a waste.
Ready To Recycle Your Wood Waste In Colorado?
A1 Organics is passionate about helping our community close the circuit of production and use. We firmly believe that, together, we can all work to create more green, recycled products from the materials already being used in our area. If you create lots of yard waste during the year, we’ve got you covered. You can always find out what products we take online before you make the drive to drop it off. Unsure if it’s worth it? Around 28% of the average landfill consists of wood waste that could have been recycled. Don’t let your trimmed branches, plant waste and other valuable natural products get thrown away. Give them a new life by depositing them here with us at A1 Organics.
Curious what else you can add to A1 Organic’s stockpile? Check out the various materials we’re willing to take off your hands for you. We’re always happy to take your yard waste and make good use of it.