Can you put drywall in recycle bin

As a construction material, drywall has a lot to offer. It’s durable, cost-effective, and versatile, making it the logical choice for a variety of construction uses. It’s also quite heat resistant, so it’s useful as an insulator for keeping heat in during the winter, and keeping heat out during the summer. Using drywall helps keep your energy bills as log as possible no matter what time of year it is.

Drywall is not indestructible, though, and if it gets damp or suffers other forms of damage, you may need to replace part of your wall during home renovations. It’s useful to know how to properly dispose of drywall so that you can do so in a way that protects the environment.

Can You Recycle Drywall?

Whenever you’re renovating a property, recycling as much of the building materials as possible is a good idea so you can save money and reduce waste too. If you can keep part of your drywall to use to fill gaps, or repurpose it in some other way, this will help you avoid sending it to a landfill.

If you can’t repurpose it, sending it to a recycling company is a good step. Drywall is made from Gypsum, and not everywhere offers recycling services. However, there are recyclers that will handle it for you. When you take drywall to a recycler, they’ll make sure all nails and screws are removed, and that any wallpaper or other contaminants have been stripped away, leaving only the gypsum for them to process and turn into something more useful.

Depending on where you live, there may be some local contractors or a community waste program that will handle it for you. Community waste programs are often the best bet if you’ve got a lot of bulky items to handle. They can pick up your waste from your property, and will process it so that nothing potentially dangerous or harmful to the environment is sent to landfil or incinerated.

Is Drywall Biodegradable?

The paper covering of drywall is biodegradable. The gypsum itself is quite absorbent and will decompose, but it should not be treated as being biodegradable. If drywall is buried in landfill where it’s deprived of oxygen, it can break down over time, but the decomposition process may be harmful for the environment. It’s better to make sure drywall is disposed of properly, so that it can be treated and repurposed, instead of throwing it away in your normal household waste.

What to Do With Old or Leftover Drywall

Store it for future projects: If you have a large piece of drywall that is clean and intact, consider keeping it for future projects. Make sure you store it in a clean, dry place where the temperature is consistent. The abosrbent nature of drywall means that if it’s exposed to damp air it can be prone to mold or mildew growth, making it a potential health hazard for you and your family.

Give it away: If you don’t have somewhere to store the drywall, consider giving it away. Advertise it on Facebook, Freecycle, or a similar service so local DIY enthusiasts or contractors can pick it up. This could save you money compared to using a recycling service and it would be doing the recipient a favor too. 

Break it down to use as fertilizer: Peel away the paper backing, and grind the gypsum into a powder (wear a mask while you’re doing this, for safety reasons), then spread it over your garden for use as a fertilizer. The gypsum will lower the pH level of your soil and is almost as good as limestone in terms of its usefulness as a fertilizer.

Use it for compost: You can also use gypsum in your compost bin to make the compost you’re producing more nutritionally useful. When drywall decomposes, it can release some strong odors, so make sure your compost bin is properly sealed and kept away from the house if you decide to try this.

Use it for arts and crafts: If the leftover drywall you have is clean and the pieces are a suitable size, try using it instead of a canvas for arts and crafts. The paper backing is suitable for painting on and will hold a variety of different paints quite well, so you can make ready-to-display pieces of art.

Don’t Throw Drywall Away

Drywall is an invaluable building commondity, but itshould not be thrown away in household waste, because it can release unwanted gases into the atmosphere. Save the environment and do your bit for your local community by following the mantra of “reduce, re-use, and recycle” when working with drywall. Either give away after removing unwanted pieces of drywall, or arrange for them to be disposed of in a safe manner by a professional recycling company if that isn’t an option.

Contact Mercury drywall Repair service at (816)295-7203. We are expert drywall repair service that provides superior drywall installation, removal and repair services.