From Waste To Resource » asbestos

How Can Wood Waste Be Used

Barbara Swafford — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:05:23 +0000

The wood waste derived from wood recycling or wood chipping operations often begins to stack up and the owners are uncertain how they can be reused, recycled or in the best case scenario, resold.

Often nature takes over and the piles of wood chips begin to decompose. This natural process leads to an obvious use – compost.

Other clean wood waste* uses:

For lumber reuse – in products such as particle board or chipboard.
To manufacture pulp and paper products
As animal bedding
As mulch – which is often used for weed control
As biomass fuel or hog fuel – burnt to produce heat and/or generate electricity
As a bulking agent for compost products
As a soil amendment – often mixed in with screened top soil material
As ground cover – Used naturally or dyed
For dust control
Used inside of mess or burlap/jute bags which are then used for erosion control.

*Clean wood waste is any wood that is derived from wood recycling or chipping processes that produce wood products that are free of contaminants or hazardous materials such as glue, lead paint, asbestos, etc.

It is also important the wood chips are free of metals such as nails or screws, as well as broken glass. When selling wood chips for reuse, check with the buyer for their guidelines. To ensure the quality of wood chips, random checks should be performed.

For an example of the heavy equipment we used for our wood recycling and composting business, see the post titled: How To Separate Rock from Wood Products”.

What Is Wood Recycling

Barbara Swafford — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:34:07 +0000

Wood recycling is the process of taking waste wood products, grinding it up and using the wood chips which are generated for other purposes. Wood recycling businesses typically use a tub grinder (see photo) or a horizontal grinder to accomplish this process. Although portable wood chippers are often used for small projects, it’s rare a portable wood chipper would be used in a wood recycling operation as efficiency is vital for success.

As mentioned in “What Can Be Recycled”, the wood products that are recyclable are tree branches, brush, stumps, small trees, and clean scrap wood from new construction. Some wood products that are the result of a building being demolished can also be ground up and recycled.* Larger trees are usually limbed and sold as timber** or cut up for firewood.

*Although many of these products can be recycled and/or reused, great care must be given to the handling of hazardous materials which may be generated from demolition jobs. Hazardous materials can include surfaces covered in lead paint or mold, asbestos, wood products treated with preservatives and/or containing glue, just to name a few. Hazardous material must be disposed of in accordance to local, State and Federal laws.

**When cutting down trees which will be sold for timber, check with your local US Forest Service for their reporting requirements. Timber that is sold to others may be subject to a Federal (and possibly a State) timber tax. If in doubt, consult your attorney.

What Is C&D

Barbara Swafford — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:50:30 +0000

In the recycling and wood waste industry, we often see the term “C&D” The translation is; construction and demolition debris.

When new construction, land developing and/or the demolition of buildings occurs, wood wastes are generated.

Common wood waste would include:

Tree trimmings, branches, stumps, and the logs, themselves

Pallets or wooden shipping containers

Scrap wood from new construction, such as 2x4s or plywood

Wood products generated from the demolition of older buildings.*

Photo Credit: Martin Pettitt