Spent CCA Treated Wood from Residential Decks can be a Resource for Reuse and Recycling

The volume of CCA treated wood being disposed of in landfills is growing at an alarming rate. In order to reduce the demand on landfills and timber harvest, more environmentally responsible alternatives for spent CCA treated wood have to be addressed. The objective of this study was to determine feasible products that can be produced from CCA treated wood. Several products were produced from CCA treated wood recovered from dismantled residential decks. The products chosen were practical to make and used in residential and public applications. The products made were a picnic table, trellis, trash container, pallets, patio chair and table, sawhorses, a deck, deck components, planter boxes, and a porch swing. All products made required little training or carpentry skills, low monetary investment in tools and hardware, and required a low amount of time to complete. Therefore, the spent CCA treated wood is feasible to be recycled by most landfills and recycling organizations. Pallets produced from recycled CCA treated wood were tested and their performance found to be similar to pallets using untreated virgin wood. From interviews with MSW and C&D landfills, recycling centers, and potential users, there appears to be a communication barrier between the groups. Many landfills managers and recyclers do not know of a market for the recycled CCA treated wood and do not feel they receive a large volume to make CCA wood recycling profitable. The potential users were found to be willing to use the recycled CCA treated wood, but did not know where to get the material. Awareness and partnerships are needed to recycle CCA treated wood from residential decks.