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Recycling Wood Waste, Saving Trees, And Being Green

Posted by Junk King on Jul 29, 2022 5:00:00 AM

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There are probably few actions that can make one feel as "green" as saving trees. And recycling wood waste is one of the best ways to do that.

Everyone wants to be eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, and do their part to preserve the planet. Helping to prevent deforestation through green wood waste disposal is a great start.

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How Do You Recycle Big Pieces of Wood Waste Anyway?

An old deck, broken-down furniture, old fencing, the kid's tree house from the backyard, an ancient stack of firewood you never got around to using... wood waste can come in a wide and frustrating variety of forms. 

And frustrating because you can't put most of it in your residential recycling bin! So, what do you do with it?

Unfortunately, there are quite a few varieties of scrap wood and wood waste materials that are not recyclable. Just about any type of wood product that has been painted, varnished, stained, or otherwise coated with something is not recyclable. Nor is pressure-treated wood or lumber that has been treated with creosote. 

And it gets worse...

Most recycling facilities will refuse waste wood if it is "contaminated" with nails, screws, metal hardware, or pretty much any other material that isn't also wood. 

And not all recycling facilities will take clean wood either, so you have to do a bit of homework first if your thought is to haul your scrap wood pile yourself to be recycled. As any good, "green" citizen would, right?

Of course, homeowners and tenants aren't the only ones who occasionally have wood waste to get rid of.

mattress recycling

The Plague of Pallets and Pallet Recycling

Most everything the gets shipped in bulk anywhere in the United States - and all over the world, for that matter - is usually shipped on a pallet. 

Pallets can be made of metal, but those are nominal in number. Others are made with molded plastic. Yet, those too, are relatively scarce. So, the vast majority of shipping pallets in the United States are made of wood.

And there are currently estimated that, on any given day, 1.8 to 1.9 billion pallets are in use in the nation - storing and distributing products.

Billion with a 'B.'

A standard pallet is six and half inches tall. Just one point eight billion of these structures stacked one on top of the other would make a pallet tower almost 185,000 miles high! That's more than three fourths of the distance to the Moon.

Unfortunately, after about six or seven trips, the average wood pallet has to be taken out of service. These used pallets are often repaired for reuse - almost 70 percent of them in fact. Which is a good thing. 

Another 16 percent or so being used as replacement lumber for new pallets. 

Statistics vary depending on the source, but the EPA estimates that close to 90 percent of all waste wood "packaging" is comprised of wood pallets. And of those, about 12,500,000 tons end up in landfills each year. 

Oh, and wood pallets are made of, well, wood. And the wood used to make them happens to be almost half of all the hardwood used in the United States each year. All of which simply means that reusing and recycling wood pallets is a significant way to save trees and help preserve the planet.

We've put together this infographic to illustrate a few pertinent and significant facts and figures about recycling scrap lumber and "green" wood waste disposal.

 

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Recycle, Reuse, or Repurpose Wood Waste

Of course, some types of waste wood material is simply unusable and unrecyclable. However, it is often possible to recover old lumber, building materials made of wood, and even scraps from projects. These can be reused for building, renovating, remodeling, and other purposes. 

Then there is the fun part - repurposing old waste wood products!

Even Martha Stewart likes to get into the act with refurbishing and repurposing old household items and wood furniture pieces,

"There are endless ways to upcycle everyday items into unexpected, beautiful pieces that you can't find anywhere else—and most of them are found right at home... Updating items to help them reach their fullest potential in your home's design scheme can be easy as a fresh coat of paint. Best of all, you'll find that most of these types of projects require just an hour or two of your time."

And for all those wood waste items that can't be recycled, reused, or repurposed, a quick call to Junk King will take care of the pickup, hauling, and disposal of those junk materials. 

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Junk King is Your Partner for "Green" Wood Waste Disposal

Junk King wants to be your partner for easy, safe, and genuinely eco-friendly scrap wood and wood waste disposal.

No matter whether it's in the form of organic waste from your yard, old wood furniture, construction scraps, or the remains of your old wooden deck - we'll dispose of it in the most environmentally responsible way possible. 

With Junk King on your team, you don’t need to worry about the pick up or proper disposal of your waste wood debris.

In fact, our expert waste removal team can often break down and haul off small, wood structures like gazebos or tool sheds. In addition, we'll also haul away any other types of junk and debris you have that's not hazardous waste.

And unlike the backseat or trunk of your car, our junk removal trucks are made to handle dirty and dangerous wood waste and debris!

Ready to get rid of your scrap wood waste in a "green" way? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Our professional and insured junk removal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home and we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk takes up in our truck. You simply point and we haul the debris into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

Make an appointment today by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

 

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Topics: Green Junk Removal, eco-friendly, wood debris removal, recycling wood, deforestation, natural resources, save the trees, wood waste disposal, scrap wood

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