Gardeners and homeowners have a common problem of how to properly dispose of treated wood. Due to the fact that treated wood is laden with toxic chemicals, it can be quite dangerous to burn them, though that seems like an easy route to take. Although many people do it, it is actually illegal to burn treated wood. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of ways to safely dispose of treated wood, and these methods may not be available in all states and provinces.
The DangersOfBurningTreatedWood
The toxic chemicals in the treated wood are released into the air when treated wood is burned. The resulting ash and smoke are just as toxic and fatal to anyone who inhales it. Treated wood can be converted into mulch at some recycling plants. The downside to that though is that the toxic substances in the treated wood find their way into the soil of that garden.
Landfill Disposal
There are special landfills with protective liners. These provide the best method for disposing treated wood safely. The contaminants are prevented from spilling into the soil and water because of the liners. Without the liners, spillage of contaminants is inevitable. Your municipality should be able to tell you the location of the one closest to you.
SpecializedBins
You can have some large disposal bins specially ordered from our dumpster bin rentals service and marked for storing treated wood until you can find a capable landfill that will take it. It would be a good idea to cut the wood into smaller pieces before dumping them into the disposal bin. However, remember to always wear a dust mask before cutting up the wood to prevent inhalation of poisonous chemicals.
Use Safe Alternatives To Wood
Safer alternatives to treated wood include:
- Recycled plastic
- Stone
- Softwood like redwood and cedar
- Salvaged wood treated with safe material
- Metal
- Wood treated with chemicalshaving lower levels of toxicity
Since there is a scarcity of resources for safely disposing of treated wood, the best solution is to preclude using wood that needs to be treated. Where possible, use an alternative to treated wood for your household or gardening projects.
With the multiplicity of materials in the world today, it is certainly possible to do without using wood altogether. It would save you from the burden of having to find a safe way to dispose of it. Not to mention it would also save the environment.
Call us at Dump-Squad or visit our website for more information on safe disposal of treated wood or of alternatives to using treated wood.
Dump-Squad is one of the fastest growing disposal bin rental, dumpster rental, mini bin rental and junk removal company in Toronto, Ontario. We hope you have enjoyed reading this article and can take something away from it. In the event you are looking to hire any junk removal services or garbage bin rentals in the Toronto area, please feel free to contact us at any time!