Today, there is an increasing awareness about all kinds of waste disposal. We know what harms the environment, what can be composted, and what needs to be sent for proper recycling.
There are all sorts of color-coded waste bins to help you identify what should go where.
However, the answer to the question, “how to dispose of wood with nails,” remains a little tricky.
In this guide, we will lay down some instructions to assist you with the process!
Wood Disposal
Before we begin the guide, it is essential to understand how wood waste can be managed and a chance for recycling. There is a large variety of wood waste produced every day, from sawdust to old broken furniture; everything is considered waste.
And while most of it can be reused and recycled, some of it can’t.
Any wood from a bigger tree than a birch has a long half-life and will not decompose or rot anytime soon, which makes this wood ideal for reuse.
Even though our definition of waste covers a lot of things, it is not always useless. Instead, most of the time, what we consider wood waste can actually be beneficial to us!
From turning your fence into some art to other resources, there are many options for recycling. However, wood that is treated with harmful chemicals should not be used without proper caution.
It may be best to dispose of such pieces of wood; an example would be lead-painted wood.
When it comes to wood with nails, you may or may not need to remove nails from the wood, depending on what you want to create.
Not only will this help you with your creativity, but it also helps preserve wood, which in turn helps the trees and environment.
How to Dispose of Wood with Nails
When it comes to disposing of wood from construction sites or wood that contains nails, people usually opt for landfills. While landfills are the easiest way to get rid of all your wood waste, it is not the best option.
Not only is it bad for the environment, but it also costs more than the other alternatives. The landfill might be an easy solution, but it does not regard conservation and reuse.
Whatever goes to the landfill will sit there till it eventually decomposes on its own.
Landfill sites contain a heap of waste that not only leaves an ugly mark but also harms the environment. Certain toxins and greenhouse gases tend to get out in the open as a result of these dumpsters, which can ultimately cause severe damage to Mother Nature.
Wood Processing Facilities
Wood processing facilities are equipped with the right tools to turn your wood waste into helpful wood products. Even when it comes to wood with nails, these facilities have tools that can easily remove the nails before the wood is processed.
Such facilities may even utilize strong magnets to pull out nails from the wood. Many other raw products for daily use can be manufactured from this waste.
Not only that, but if your wood waste is in good shape and condition, a wood processing facility may not even charge you for it. They will be compensated with the products that they will make out of this reusable wood.
However, if your wood has too many nails and will not do them any good, they may charge you a fee to processing it.
It’s important to note here, however, that some wood processing facilities may not facilitate your wood waste, especially the kind that has nails in it.
They will instruct you to remove any nails or other metals that may damage their processing machines.
In such a scenario, you can utilize some old-school methods to take out the nails before you dispose of the wood.
Removing the Nails Before Disposal
Removing nails from the wood is not a highly complex task and will only require a few garage tools. Here are a few different methods to remove nails from wood here.
1) Using Magnets
Using a magnet to pull out the nails from the wood is one of the most convenient methods to get rid of nails. There are specialized magnets available in the market that are made to cater to this very problem.
They are easy to use and require no prior tool management skills. Apart from pulling out the nails, they can help with any ferrous material that may have been installed in the wood.
2) Using a Hammer
A claw hammer is another very effective tool that can be used to pull nails out from a piece of wood. You are required to expose the head of the nails just enough that it fits in the claw.
Usually, the heads are hammered too deep. In such a scenario, you can tap the tail using your hammer just enough to loosen the head. Once done, you can use the claw to pull it out.
3) Using Pliers
If there is no head on the nails that are stuck in the wood, you can simply use pliers to pull out the nails without damaging the wood. You will require a little effort since these nails are usually very firmly stuck.
One easy way to use pliers is to pull the nail sideways and form a lever using the pliers. It will make the nail leave its position, after which it can be easily pulled out.
Wrapping it Up
When figuring out how to dispose of wood with nails, there are quite a few options available to you. You can reuse and recycle the wood or remove the nails and use the wood as a bio-fuel.
However, you need to be sure that the wood has not been treated with any harmful chemicals before burning it. You can also properly dispose of your wood waste at a wood processing facility.
At the end of the day, your last resort should be disposing of it in a landfill. Even though you have all these options, try to dispose of the waste in a place that causes minimal damage to the environment.
Mother Earth will thank you!
Until next time, readers!
