How to Recycle Pressure Treated Lumber

Pressure treated posts.

Since the 1970s, the majority of wooden outdoor structures such as playgrounds and picnic tables have been made with pressure treated lumber, also known as preservative treated lumber or simply PT lumber (Reference 1). Until 2004 almost all of that lumber contained chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a chemical that is toxic and dangerous. CCA has since been banned but the older wood still remains. According to Lamp'l, "one 12-foot-long 2-inch-by-6-inch piece of CCA lumber contains enough arsenic (1 ounce) to kill more than 200 people." Disposing of this lumber presents a huge challenge and, if you don't want to send it to the landfill, your options for recycling are limited. Nevertheless, there are some environmentally responsible options available.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Respirator
• Eye protection

Instructions

Removing the Wood From the Site

1. 

   Contact the manufacturer of your play set to see if the wood is PT.

   Make certain that the lumber is pressure treated. A greenish tint is a good indicator that it is pressure treated, as are staple-sized hash marks along the surface of the wood. However, some PT lumber doesn't show these features and the green tint can fade with age. Check with the manufacturer of your play set or structure to see what kind of wood was used.

2. Before PT lumber can be recycled, it must be safely removed from its location. Wear gloves, eye protection and a respirator when handling the wood, especially if you will be cutting the material.

3. Wear tightly woven coveralls and rinse off any exposed skin after working with PT lumber. Sawdust and preservatives may settle on the skin or any exposed areas.

4. Avoid storing or leaving the wood in prolonged contact with gardening areas. Be careful about how you place the wood. Consider covering it with a tarp to avoid leaching of preservatives during rainstorms. Don't cut the wood around children, pets or the elderly.

Reusing

1. The best way to recycle unwanted PT lumber is to find another use for it. For example, if you removed an unwanted play structure made of PT lumber, consider storing it safely to use for deck repair, railings or benches.

2. If reusing PT lumber, coat it in a sealant. This will help prevent contact with the harmful chemicals. Touching PT lumber is not enough to cause harm, but ingesting it is harmful (Reference 3). Since children often put their hands in their mouths, applying a sealant is a good precaution.

3. Reuse options for PT lumber are numerous. Walkways, decks, even furniture may all be made of PT lumber. Just remember that cutting the lumber releases sawdust that poses a contamination hazard. Exercise care when building with this material. Don't make structures that will contact PT lumber.

Recycling

1. Recycling options for PT lumber are not that plentiful. Municipal disposal programs for PT lumber don't really recycle the material. They dispose of it in lined landfills as permitted by law.

2. Recycling options are being explored by a number of different groups and organizations, but the viability of these options is currently low. If you don't want to send your PT lumber to the landfill and you have space, consider storing your PT lumber and waiting until recycling options become more plentiful.

3. Alternately, in some cities and towns construction material reuse organizations are becoming more plentiful. Many of these reuse organizations will take your old lumber. In fact, some of them are nonprofits and your donation will be tax deductible. Other builders may want your material and throwing it away would be a waste.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider offering your structure or wood for free on a community-driven website. Someone else may need the wood for a project and may come and dismantle it for you.

• PT lumber can be extremely toxic. Exercise care and responsibility when cutting and handling pressure treated lumber. Under no circumstances should you burn PT lumber, as the smoke is extremely toxic.

References

• EPA New England: Go green at home
• Knoxville News-Sentinel: Pressure-treated lumber poses disposal problems; Lamp'l; 2008
• Thurston County Public Health and Social Services: Pressure-Treated Wood (CCA)
• US EPA: Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA): Consumer Safety Information Sheet: Inorganic Arsenical Pressure-Treated Wood
• University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program: Safe Use of Chemically Treated Wood

Resources

• LSU Ag Center: Process Holds Promise For Recycling Pressure Treated Wood
• "The Recycling of Pressure Treated Wood"; Felton and Degroot; 1996