Alternative Fuels

Reuse of Wood Waste

An average new home produces four tons of construction waste, of which 1.7 tons is wood waste. Currently, most construction waste is put in dumpsters and taken to a construction and demolition landfill. However, several residential construction wastestreams can be recycled or reused as part of a "green" building practice. These include cardboard, metals, scrap wallboard and wood waste. Ground wood waste can be reused as a mulch, erosion and sediment control, or for heavy use areas.

Regulators at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were unsure if engineered wood products and finger-jointed studs that contain adhesives with organic chemicals could be safely ground and reused on-site. With funding from the Solid Waste Trust Fund through the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division, a UGA biological and agricultural engineer conducted a study to evaluate environmental risks of using ground engineered wood products onsite. The study tested runoff from ground engineered wood product mulches for organic chemicals, tested soils underneath the mulch for changes in soil chemistry, and looked at effects of the mulch on the growth of common landscaping plants. No adverse effects were found.

Regulators agreed that scrap engineered wood products from residential construction could be ground and reused on site. They requested an Extension bulletin outlining guidelines for use. Beneficial reuse of this waste onsite can potentially remove 30,600 tons or 198,000 cubic yards of wood waste from construction and demolition landfills in the Atlanta area alone. Beneficial reuse also can save builders money by reducing tipping fees, reducing erosion and sediment control costs, providing a clean delivery pad for construction materials, and providing free mulch for landscaping beds. (2006)

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