Before using the organic waste can for lumber, let's see whether to use it for wood or not.
As wood is the parent of paper, you may consider using the same container for both. It is not the right practice. To help you with this query, we'll discuss the facts about "Can you put scrap wood in the green bin?".
Can you put scrap wood in the green bin? - Right waste treatment
Wood scrap belongs to non-recyclable waste, so treating it like biodegradable items is not right. Though lumber and paper are closely linked, only the latter one is safe to recycle.
Curbside recycling systems help recycle household items like plastic, paper, and other organic waste materials. Still, there is no technology capable of making wood scrap reusable.
Moreover, the waste is sorted out after collection from the bins to separate the recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Possibly, the sorting team will separate the lumber here, but wood scrap is hard to isolate from the garbage.
That's why dumping the scrap wood in a green lid bin is not a good practice. Then how to treat it, and what should go in the green container? Don't worry; we'll discuss the effective methods to handle your wood scrap here.
Green lid bin usage - Do's and don'ts.
When using a special bin for each type of home waste, you should know what to throw in the green bin. Here is the list of household items that should go in green-lid containers.
- Food junks
- Fruit and vegetable peeling
- Paper
- Timber (untreated)
- Young tree branches
- Leave scrap
- Plant remaining
- Trimmed grass
- Weeds
Let's see what should not go in this green-lid waste container.
- Plastic shopping bags
- Pets scrap
- Timber (untreated) and wood scrap
- Large quantity of dust
- Heavy tree trunks
- Pots
- Non-biodegradable items
- Bricks and other building scratches
Remember the items included in the above lists and use your green wheelie bin accordingly in the future. The above listing is a brief answer to "Can you put wood in the green bin?". So, ensure using your bins appropriately.
How to treat wood scrap?
Before diving into the discussion on handling scrap wood, let's learn about all non-recyclable types of wood. Here we go!
- Refined wood:
As mentioned in the above list, finished wood is a non-recyclable item. The hazardous chemicals contained in such wood remains make them bad for recycling. So, it will not go to your green bin.
- Painted timber:
Paint has certain harmful chemicals, so painted timber may pose particular hazards. That's why using the recycling bin for such wood is not wise.
- Varnished timber:
Avoid putting varnished timber in green waste containers. The lacquer, like paint, also has certain harmful adhesive chemicals. Hence, lacquered timber will also contain the same hazardous substance. That's why never put it in an organic waste bin.
The wood scrap may come from any of the above categories, so it will pose certain harmful reactions to human beings. Hence, dumping it in an organic waste bin is not a good idea.
Randall Edwards
Here are some useful alternatives to treat such hazardous wood scrap.
1- Mulch creation
Treating wood scrap to prepare mulch is a creative way for its disposal. You'll observe the following changes in your garden after using mulch.
- Improvement in the soil fertility
- An increase in moisture of the soil
- Prevention from drought
- Low water evaporation
- Reduced weeds growth
- Increased coolness of the garden soil
2- Make it reusable
Another useful way to treat scrap wood is to produce different items from it. You can reuse it to build different small woody structures. Here are some ideas to make different decorative pieces from such wood pieces.
- Desk stand for your laptop
- Structure for the wall clock
- Footrest
- Dog bowl stand
- Small light pole
- Pencil holder
- Spice bottle container
These are a few ideas, but you can use untreated timber to make many such decorative pieces. It will add to your home's beauty besides preventing harmful side effects.
3- Use in fire chimneys
Though some areas have prohibited the usage of scrap wood in the fire pit, not all, so you can also use them in chimneys. It will save you money to purchase timber for your little furnace. This option is for those residing in an area allowing scrap wood usage in fire chimneys.
4- Consider selling scrap wood
Due to high usage, wood has always been in demand. Even scrap wood is used in some building projects. So, builders invest in purchasing such timber.
It is a way to generate revenue from wood which is useless for you. However, you may have to be patient, as finding a buyer may be hard.
5- Handover to hazardous facility center
Most cities have hazardous management centers which collect hazardous waste items from the residents of that city. If you have such a facility in your area, it is a great alternative to treating scrap wood.
The hazardous management center will not charge you any fee if you don't own a business. However, you may have to pay little, not too much, if you own any business.
6- Give scrap wood to the energy production house
Your city will have some centers of energy production that consume biomass to generate electricity. They use different materials, including scrap wood, in combustion processes. Wood is a relatively eco-friendly fuel as compared to some fossil fuels. You can hand over the scrap timber to such centers. It is one way to handle your scrap wood effectively.
Conclusion
Using your green lid bin for all your home waste items is wrong. Scrap wood is one of the household items which should not go into an organic waste container. As it is non-recyclable, dumping it in the green wheelie waste bin is inappropriate.
Fortunately, certain practical alternatives will help you to handle such timber effectively. It is good to explore "Can you put scrap wood in the green bin?". You can choose any of the above alternative ways to handle the scrap wood. Stay connected with us to explore more about home garbage fixtures.
