When you are done with most old or damaged plywood, don’t throw it in the garbage. Learn how to dispose of old plywood quickly!
Plywood is a type of panel that is made by adhering several layers of wood veneer together with glue.
The purpose of the plywood is to create a solid and stable surface for use in construction or manufacturing, though it is also used for decorative purposes and as a component in composite materials such as particle boards.
Plywood comes in various thicknesses and can be cut with a variety of tools (you can even get precut pieces at some home improvement stores!).
Have you ever had an old piece of plywood sitting around that you just can’t decide what to do with?
Maybe it’s an old piece of drywall or flooring, or maybe it’s some shelving you took down from the garage.
Before you throw it in your trash, think about how bad it would be if your trash truck got stuck driving over that wood.
So here are some tips on how to dispose of that plywood properly so it doesn’t cause problems for everyone else.
Contents
Preparation to dispose of old plywood
1. Turn the plywood over and remove any nails and screws
When you’re ready to get rid of old plywood, be sure to turn the plywood over and remove all the nails or screws before you dispose of it.
They might end up hurting someone else or even injure if it falls on someone’s foot.
To do this, you could use a hammer to pull them out.
2. Attach the plywood to a steady object
Attach the plywood to a stable surface.
You can use a stable object to hold down your plywood if you want to get rid of the old plywood.
It will be less likely to fly away in the wind and cause harm to other people’s property in this way.
3. Break the plywood into smaller pieces if necessary
When you’re going to get rid of old plywood, it’s important to break it into smaller pieces to ensure that they’ll fit into your disposal easily.
The smaller pieces are easier to carry and make it easy to transport.
How to dispose of old plywood
1. Take it to the recycling center
If you want to get rid of old plywood, it’s better to take it to a recycling center
Recycling centers are more than willing to take it off your hands for free, and if it’s scrap wood with no nails or screws, you might even get paid for it.
Recycling centers are always looking for cheap sources of wood for mulching and other purposes.
It’s best to take it to the special recycling center that handles wood. They’ll pay you for the old plywood and they’ll either use it themselves or sell it to someone else who can get used out of it.
This is a great opportunity to reduce our landfill waste and help the environment.
2. Sell it
Selling your old plywood is surprisingly easy.
You can put an ad on a local Facebook group or ask your friends to buy it.
Facebook groups have a lot of members so it’s easy for you to find someone who needs this. Some people will even give you more than the market price, which is great if you need money quickly.
The most likely buyers will be hobbyists or contractors who want the material to use as parts of their own projects, but you could also find a customer who wants to use the wood in another way, such as crafting furniture.
Be sure to take pictures of each piece and provide dimensions so that people know what they’re buying—and make sure they know how much they’ll need to pay for pickup or transportation costs.
A lot of people are looking for old plywood for crafts, furniture making, or other hobbies.
If you’re wondering what to do with your leftover plywood, call your local waste management authority.
While some area recycling centers will accept scraps of wood for mulch or other purposes, most won’t take wood products—you’ll likely need to call your city directly to find out exactly what they will do with your old plywood.
Many cities even have special days in which they’ll come pick up materials such as plywood at no cost to the resident.
As a rule of thumb, if you have any type of wood that’s in good condition, you should take it to a waste management facility instead of putting it on the curb for trash day.
4. Call the contractor
When you want to dispose of old plywood, you’re better off calling your local contractor than trying to get rid of it by yourself
They will be able to give you a price based on the amount of plywood you have, the distance from your home to theirs, and whether or not they need to come to get it themselves.
The contractor will then take the plywood off your hands and either recycle it or use it for their own purposes.
5. Give it away
Another tip to get rid of old plywood is by giving it away.
It’s a great way to help someone out, save money on disposal costs, and get rid of what might otherwise be wasted.
Your neighbor might want to build a new set of cabinets for his workshop and could use the extra plywood you have lying around.
You can put a free sign on it in your neighborhood or post an ad on Craigslist.
People who need wood for furniture or repair projects will gladly come to pick it up from you.
6. Repurpose it
Whenever you’re thinking about disposing of old plywood, consider repurposing it into something else first.
Old plywood can easily be transformed into a new, functional, and beautiful piece of furniture.
If the wood is still in good condition, you can use it to build furniture or wall art.
A piece of plywood is essentially a large sheet of pine or another type of wood, so you can treat it like any other plank of wood when cutting or painting it.
One easy repurposing idea is to turn your old plywood into a desk organizer.
You can create a new bathroom shelf, or maybe you need a new coffee table to use in front of your couch—no matter what it is, old plywood can be repurposed into anything.
What you should not do to dispose of old plywood
1. Don’t burn it
Burning wood can actually have detrimental effects on your health and the environment.
Fire releases byproducts like carbon monoxide and particulate matter into the air.
This can cause breathing problems for people with asthma or lung conditions and even shorten the lives of healthy people.
It can also contribute to air pollution, which has been linked to a wide array of medical conditions and diseases.
If the plywood has been painted with lead-based paint or has been treated with asbestos, do not burn it for heating purposes because these things are poisonous to breathe in (asbestos is especially dangerous).
2. Don’t dump it
If you’ve got no use for it, you might be tempted to just throw it in the dumpster. Don’t do it! You’re putting waste into a landfill.
Plywood is not biodegradable, so it will just sit in the landfill with other solid waste.
Conclusion
When you’re done with plywood, you can’t just throw it out in the trash.
That’s because construction materials are full of hazardous chemicals and heavy metals, which must be disposed of properly for the sake of safety and the environment.
Let me summarize how to dispose of old plywood easily!
- Take it to the recycling center
- Sell it
- Call the local waste management authority
- Call your city’s contractor list
- Give it away
- Repurpose it
If you want to dispose of an old motorcycle helmet or office chair, you can read my other article!
