how do you dispose of plywood scraps?
gwsaltspring
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hi all;
I seem to have generated a pile of plywood scraps, and while I may be able to use some of them in the future, most of them are of a size that they probably aren’t worth saving.
Is there an alternative to sending them to the landfill?
Greg
Replies
If you are in an area with Freecycle ( http://www.freecycle.org/ ) you can post an offer there. I've never had problems getting rid of scraps for people that want them for kindling, crafts, or who-knows-what. One person's trash is another's treasure.
Most western Washington landfills have the ability to recycle lumber and plywood. Since we're on an island, we have to drive about 30 miles to get to the transfer station that actually does recycle, so we only do it when we have a decent-sized load.
I wouldn't sell or give plywood to someone who's going to burn it. If that's what they're burning, they're probably not burning very efficiently, and my understanding is that there are components in plywood that aren't terribly good for us to be breathing. Even when I heated with a woodstove, I didn't burn plywood scraps.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"and my understanding is that there are components in plywood that are not terribly good for us to be breathing."
Oh oh, And I just burned all that plywood in my new outside boiler to heat my shop! What is it in the plywood that is bad? Must be the glue. Bet that applies to particle board also.
I am not sure about plywood. but I would bet there are chemicals in plywood that you don't want to breath. As far as particle board I use to drive tanker trucks and I would haul thousands of gallons of formaltihyde, to a company that I won't mention there name, but it was used in the process of making and gluing the stuff together. And formaltihyde is a very nast chemical that you don't want to inhale,
According to the EPA, the glues release toxic chemicals when burned. I suspect that is much less so now than it was 30 years ago, but I'll take their word for it. On the rare occasion I tossed a small scrap in my wood stove, it didn't seem to burn as efficiently as solid wood either, which means the smoke pollution would have been worse. Cured me of being tempted to burn plywood beyond the tiny scrap now and again.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
My "clean" wood is recycled. Even my saw dust is reused. But wood with a finish of any kind, be it paint/stain/oils, or wood with glue, or other chemicals (such as plywood) goes straight to the landfill.
Thanks for the suggestions. So it is possible to recycle plywood? I will need to check into that one. I guess I am beginning to think more about the environmental implications of my garbage. Hence the question. I'm usually pretty good at finding uses for the small scraps, but some of the left over shapes from the S&G boats are kind of hard to find a home for.Just one of the reasons I am planning the next kayak as a skin on frame, though that is not without its challenges.Cheers Greg ;-)
What do you do with your sawdust?? I have a LOT of it and really hate to throw it away (lots of money there). I'd rather see it go to a use than waste it.
Barry in WV
I save my sawdust in a garbage can, and then use it to as a floor sweep, and to soak up oil spills. But sometimes I get to much of it and see if my neigbhors, would like it for the same purpose I do.
I have 2 garbage cans of shavings from the thickness planer waiting to head to a neighbor, never bothered to ask what he does with it, but I appreciate having a place to send it to and he likes getting it. (cedar and pine shavings btw)Greg
Sawdust can be composted, or used to raise worms, take your pick. It's the "brown" in the green+brown composting equation. You can also use it as weed control. Place cardboard down around trees (not touching the trunk; a 10" donut, so-to-speak) and then cover the cardboard with sawdust. Keeps weeds and grass from growing for one season anyway.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Barry,
I give the sawdust/shavings to a local farmer. He uses it in his chicken coop, and as mulch around the trees in his orchard...
I have plywood cutoffs from 2 sets of kitchen cabinets. Some I have used on the 3 changing tables for my first granddaughter and her cousin 3/4". The 1/4" stuff (not really 1/4") from the drawer bottoms I have been using to make tissue box covers. The square ones. And I am always looking for pieces for clamping, proping and the like.
Had a bunch of left over bubinga. Making door stops.
Shop is in the cellar of a house we spend weekends at. Moved into it 5 years ago from the previous weekend house. Took me about a year to accumulate scrapes again.
ASK
Sounds like we do similar things with offcuts. I was just thinking about the small ones. Don't really want to move them to the new place and don't really want to burn them as I don't think that does the air quality any good. Thanks for your reply.Greg
The other thing I have been thinking of doing is nail and screw them all together and make a "sculpture" for the garden.
ASK
Please don't do that. I've seen way too much "folk art".
OK you convinced me.
ASK
I would try putting an ad on your local Craig's List.
Last year I did some work for a guy that was flipping a house, and he accumulated all the demoed wood from the job, including plywood. He put an ad on Craig's list and offered it for $20 per load.
I happened to be there when a homeowner type was loading up his load, and asked him what he was going to do with it. He said he was going to burn it in his backyard firepit, since it was cheaper than buying logs.
I said something about the dangers of burning plywood, but he claimed he wasn't concerned, so I didn't argue with him.
He thought he was getting a great deal, so it just goes to show that one man's trach is another man's treasure.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
NW;Well hope fully you don't live too close and end up breathing his smoke. Perhaps I have become sensitized over my career, but I now find that if I don't wear gloves when handling certain woods, plywood in particular, by the end of the day my hands are red and stinging. Could only imagine what my lungs would be like after breathing the stuff.Greg
We're all just assuming burning plywood is bad.Do you know if the EPA, or any other scientific source has weighed in on the subject? The same is true with treated wood; when the previous chemical contained arsenic, there was lots of information about the hazards of burning it in an open fire. But now that they have changed the formula, I wonder if that is still the case.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
You raise a good point. I know from experience, getting stuck briefly downwind of a burn pile with some plywood on it that I don't want to breath much of that stuff. So whether a regulatory body says it is OK to burn it or not I don't want to. There is a pulp mill across the water from where I currently live. Fortunately the prevailing winds are away from my location, but every once in a while it shifts and boy I don't envy those who live up wind of it. Sore throat, itchy eyes, runny nose, achy joints, I used to think I was coming down with something until I noticed the pattern. Wind from the south no symptoms, wind from the north all of the above for a day or so. I call it Greg science ;-)Cheers
I was curious, so I googled "hazards plywood burning". I couldn't find any definitive info -- like from the EPA or a state regulatory agency.Mainly, the sources that came up say that the glues in plywood are the problem, but nothing specific on why. But there were lots of town/county ordinances against it -- but they don't want open fires with any kind of material.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The internet is great. The information out there for those who learn to mine the web gives more power to a common Joe than any king ever had.
On the other hand, it is just developing; it is a work in progress. To expect to find a definitive answer on the web is not a good starting point.
Not long ago, I wondered what a person would do if they needed help. Using original search words like "help", "help me", "I need help", and about twenty variations - on several search engines - I was not able to find any help. I even tried it in a foreign language which I am fluent in and reached the same dead end. There is much help available in the world. I didn't find any evidence of it on the infosphere. (If the help ever shows up, I would be careful about getting any closer to it than with a ten-foot pole!)
Because you found no plywood burning hazards, you may feel better about burning plywood. This is not a good reason to breathe in the smoke, either close in or from a distance.
This is not intended to hijack the thread.
If you re-read my post, you'll see "...the EPA says" or something to that effect. Found it last night on their web site. Don't have time to track it down again, but if you Google, I'm sure you can find it.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
NW;I haven't done any research to that end, but it is possibly worth looking into.As an aside, I participated in a 6 mos Natural Building course a few years ago and was amazed at the number of toxic natural building materials we used. Natural doesn't necessarily lead to non-toxic and man-made doesn't have to be toxic I suppose.
Greg
I burn them in the shop stove.
toss it in the nighbors yard?
I've considered that one but I have a funny feeling they might know where they came from ;-)Greg
Your nighbors must be smarter than mine.
I don't know about smarter, but perhaps a bit closer and retired with nothing better to do that stick their noses in other peoples business.Cheers Greg
I saw a show once about an elderly craftsman in the Sonoma or SF area who never threw a piece of wood away. I forget his name, but I think he is well known for fine furniture.
I don't think I will achieve such skill to use up all of the wood I could accumulate. Besides I would probably need a barn to store all of the stuff. Hmmmm.... better factor that into the next workshop design. Thanks for the reminder.Greg
The EPA, while helpful, is a government agency. Government agencies are not typically very efficient, and can be easily influenced by special interest groups (i.e. money from corporate donations). For example, you will find little realistic information about the hazards associated with CFL bulbs or lithium batteries. I work in hazmat compliance, and in commerce, this kind of stuff is regulated up the wazoo. DO NOT trust anyone else with your safety other than an informed you! Only you have your own best interests in mind. Do not burn poisonous plywood!
From the EPA, Best Burn Practices
Items You Should Never Burn . . .
* Never burn household garbage or cardboard. Plastics, foam and the colored ink on magazines, boxes, and wrappers produce harmful chemicals when burned. They may also damage your wood-burning appliance.
* Never burn coated, painted, or pressure-treated wood because it releases toxic chemicals when burned.
* Never burn ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board, or any wood with glue on or in it. They all release toxic chemicals when burned.
* Never burn wet, rotted, diseased, or moldy wood.
Source: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/bestburn.html
Plywood scrap project
So here's a couple things I did: I used a hole saw and cut 8 3" circles of the 3/4" plywood (slightly round over edges). Then I glued them to a left over piece of that foam stuff that keeps area rugs from sliding with a paint called Glidden gripper. You paint the circles, lay them paint down on 1/2 the sheet of foam then paint the other side and fold the foam over. Lay a a board across and add wieght. When its dry, you cut the circles out and have 8 bench cookies, They work for me.
The other thing I do with plywood scrap is cut triangles out in sets of four. I usually go for a 60/30/90 shape about 2-2 1/2" on the long side. These are great for raising pieces up for finishing. They also work well as wedges to gently separate nailed together wood when "reclaiming" lumber. Hope this helps.
I was surprised by the "don't
I was surprised by the "don't burn driftwood" advice. I wonder what is in driftwood that could hurt you.
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