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General: Can you recycle plasterboard

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorJonti
    • CommentTimeFeb 4th 2011
     
    My better half and I have just finished ripping out quite a bit of plasterboarding. Some was in good enough condition to make it worth while removing it carefully so as to be able to reuse it but a lot of it was just in too poor a condition. Before we load it up into the car and take it to the local council waste centre is there any ways in which it might be recycled.

    One thought was that I have reused concrete blocks (demolished outbuilding) as hard standing in a storage shed with the idea of filling the gaps between the block and putting a fine skim over it. The floor under the concrete blocks has a fine layer of sand over a waterproof membrane with all run off water going through an oil trap and filter. Could I grind the plasterboard up and use it between the concrete blocks to stabilise them?

    Jonti
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    NO. dont do that it could even be illegal!

    Plasterboard is considered hazardous waste now and the local recycling place will probably have a special place for it so take it there unless you can reuse it indoors.
    • CommentAuthorMike George
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011 edited
     
    Yep, nasty stuff allegedly been used in PB over the years; possibly in finishes also , like Artex
  4.  
    The reason PB is banned in landfill is that it contains, shock-horror, calcium sulphate aka gypsum. This hideous poison reacts with the bacteria that break down organic waste in the landfill and produces hydrogen sulphide - which, all joking aside, is a nasty poison. This problem is only manifested where there's organic material in the landfill - as there usually is as domestic garbage is of the order of 30-40% food waste. I'm sure using old PB to fill in cracks between concrete blocks is fine as there's nothing dangerous about calcium sulphate on its own - it's the combination with organic digesting bacteria that causes the problem.

    Paul in Montreal
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    Posted By: Paul in Montrealit's the combination with organic digesting bacteria that causes the problem.

    Could these be present in soil or attached to old brickwork or stone?
  6.  
    Posted By: SteamyTeaCould these be present in soil or attached to old brickwork or stone?
    I would think more likely to be present in the soil - where they have organic material to break down already.

    Paul in Montreal.
  7.  
    Paul, I have heard it alleged that Hospital waste [ash] has been used in the production of PB. Whether this is true or not is another matter
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    Jeez, Mike. You mean I could have somebody's incinerated kidney on my walls?
    •  
      CommentAuthorDamonHD
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    You can wear your heart on your skim...?

    Rgds

    Damon
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    :cry: Oh god! DAMON!!!!!!!
    • CommentAuthorNickiB
    • CommentTimeFeb 5th 2011
     
    Bet the PB is dead cheap though....

    Gypsum can be added to compacted or clay soil in the garden to loosen the soil structure. So if you can't put PB into general landfill but can put gypsum onto your garden, would the landfill sites work via anaerobic rather than aerobic composting?
  12.  
    Posted By: NickiBwould the landfill sites work via anaerobic rather than aerobic composting
    I think they do - that's why they also produce methane rather than CO2.

    Paul in Montreal.
  13.  
    lmao guys
    • CommentAuthorJonti
    • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2011
     
    Thanks for the replies.

    I am still not sure so I guess it will be down to the local waste desposal area and their PB skip. I also do not think there should be a problem, especially as I have removed the top 40 CMs of top soil so there will be very, very little bio activity.

    Jonti
    • CommentAuthorwookey
    • CommentTimeFeb 8th 2011
     
    There are several companies that recycle plasterboard. This page suggests you can get GBP 75-100 per tonne:
    http://www.pbruk.co.uk/what.htm

    This lot have a really rather good youtube video on how their process works: http://www.gypsumrecycling.co.uk/

    For individuals I suspect the only sensible thing to do is take it to the local recycling centre and let them work out what to do with it.
    • CommentAuthorJonti
    • CommentTimeFeb 8th 2011
     
    Very interesting Wookey,

    We have already taken most of our PB down to the local waste depot

    Jonti
    • CommentAuthorpmusgrove
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2012
     
    Took some Fermacell offcuts to the recycling centre in Taunton yesterday to get it into the gypsum recycling bin (as it is 80% gypsum and 20% paper) and was told that if it looks like asbestos, smells like asbestos or tastes like asbestos it has to go in the asbestos bin! What a waste.. Apparently anything looking greyish and flat hs to go that way including floor tiles and other board materials. The poor guys at the front end in the waste recyling centres have to take the wrath but how can we get this ridiculous situation and waste of resources corrected? Had a look at Wookey's website (see above) but they charge for taking it away I think and they would not be interested in a few offcuts.
    • CommentAuthorTimSmall
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2012
     
    Ouch. I looked into getting rid of some asbestos tiles here, and the cheapest I could find was £220 per ton, min charge 1 ton, if I took it directly to the transfer station myself (it goes into a sealed asbestos-only landfill cell, and obviously needs careful handing before that), so that's an expensive policy which they are operating there... The local council recycling centre will take max 6 bags asbestos per month.

    If you told the right person at the council that they're treating plasterboard as asbestos (and paying extra for it!), I wonder if you'd get that policy changed?

    I think the majority of the plasterboard collected at those centres currently go into a similar (but cheaper!) segregated landfill cells, without (theoretically) organic material. Definitely more room for boards made from recycled plasterboard, but I assume that'll grow with time, now that separated PB is available.

    BTW, the same thing should go for gypsum plaster as does for plasterboard, but you see that in skips on it's way to general landfill all the time...

    There seems to be some info about plasterboard recycling here:

    http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/32148.aspx

    http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/plasterboard-recycler-directory
    •  
      CommentAuthorCitrus
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2012
     
    Took some plasterboard to our local tip recently, and it's chargeable at £140 a tonne :shocked:
    • CommentAuthorpmusgrove
    • CommentTimeJul 1st 2012
     
    I guess the cost is why we are getting plasterboard dumped into the countryside byways.
    • CommentAuthormuddy
    • CommentTimeJul 1st 2012
     
    The gypsum in PS has already been 'recycled' from the treatment of power station flue gases with lime to remove the sulphur dioxide from coal burning. By segregating it in separate landfil cells it will gives the impression that it is dangerous stuff, but only for the reasons of H2S production as described before. PS is a clay soil improver, can also be added to unfired clay blocks, and can be recycled to remake PS again. The problem is always keeping the waste 'clean'. Any ideas on small scale crushing/shredding PS for domestic use? Its a usually smashed up in a hammermill.
    • CommentAuthorjamesingram
    • CommentTimeJul 1st 2012 edited
     
    these lot run recycling through insulation suppliers ( SIGs companies)
    http://www.speedlinerecycling.co.uk/how-to-gypsum-recycling.asp
    though this might not suit the DIY/selfbuild/small guys

    I stick unusable off cut etc. in stud walls , additional sound insulation :smile:

    most skip companies now offer seperate bags/skips for PB and I presume they recycle
    • CommentAuthorpmusgrove
    • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2012
     
    Thanks James; why didn't I think of that! Into the walls the offcuts will go.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2012
     
    Yes, that's brilliant - from now on ...
    • CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2012
     
    Nobody's mentioned this recycling scheme yet:

    http://www.british-gypsum.com/sectors/residential/prs.aspx
    • CommentAuthorGreenPaddy
    • CommentTimeJul 12th 2012
     
    word of caution on putting off-cuts into the wall voids. It takes a lot more work than you might think, cutting, fitting, holding inplace till second sided. Started this in my own build, and gave up after 3 panels. Also, running pipes/cables later will be tricky.
  27.  
    My local council transfer station have a skip specifically for plasterboard. It is in the recycle area so I asked the guy and he informed me that is goes back for reworking. Could be true or it could be cobblers.

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