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I'd be careful with this advice. First of all you don't know what else has been put into the dumpster. There could be toxic or hazardous materials. Especially i

I'd be careful with this advice. First of all you don't know what else has been put into the dumpster. There could be toxic or hazardous materials. Especially if it's a renovation project. Secondly, be careful with the wood if you don't know precisely what it is. For instance, making charcoal (or even burning) pressure treated wood is a horrible idea.

bityard 4y ago
Generally, there _shouldn't_ be anything toxic in construction dumpsters. Not a lot of home construction deals with anything highly toxic anyway. Plus, if the disposal company finds something in there that shouldn't be there, they will refuse to take it, or levy a fine, or won't work with that contractor anymore. Conversely, some randos see an open dumpster and think its a great place to chuck their old car batteries and whatnot.
- nemo44x 4y ago
  Pressure treated woods scraps are generally thrown in dumpsters and they are toxic if burned. You never burn pressure treated wood. You just never know though. For instance, it could be thought that there isn't any asbestos in the home being renovated. But maybe there were a couple pieces of drywall or pipe insulation that happened to have asbestos and it wasn't noticed. It happens. There is also a very good chance that there's lead dust and chips from old paint or pipes that's being thrown in as well. Probably don't want to make charcoal or anything out of that or any new SPF/Doug tossed in there that maybe got some of it on it you don't notice.
  - hanniabu 4y ago
    Isn't new pressure treated wood safe to burn because they no longer have the nasty chemicals they used to put in them?
    - waldothedog 4y ago
      There are a range of treatment methods, some of which have fallen out of mass production but none are recommended for burning
domtron_vox 4y ago
Good point. Never ran into anything problematic myself, but we are fairly rural so construction is usually houses with occasional apartments. But definitely be wary of other stuff that may be in with the wood. As for pressure treated wood, it is pretty obvious what has been treated and what has not, at least in my experience. Not sure if it's the process, or if they intentionally dye it, but treated wood has a strong green tint, though could probably have other colors too depending on the treatment method. But fresh untreated pine has a pretty obvious color.
- systems_glitch 4y ago
  The old CCA treated stuff got the green from the copper in it. It's hard to tell if the A (arsenic compound) is still in there if it's weathered. Not a good idea to burn scraps from demolished old outdoor stuff.
- nemo44x 4y ago
  It turns grey pretty fast. But yes it won’t be pink/white like fresh pine. If you know what you’re doing I’m sure you’re fine.

bityard 4y ago

Generally, there _shouldn't_ be anything toxic in construction dumpsters. Not a lot of home construction deals with anything highly toxic anyway. Plus, if the disposal company finds something in there that shouldn't be there, they will refuse to take it, or levy a fine, or won't work with that contractor anymore. Conversely, some randos see an open dumpster and think its a great place to chuck their old car batteries and whatnot.

nemo44x 4y ago
Pressure treated woods scraps are generally thrown in dumpsters and they are toxic if burned. You never burn pressure treated wood. You just never know though. For instance, it could be thought that there isn't any asbestos in the home being renovated. But maybe there were a couple pieces of drywall or pipe insulation that happened to have asbestos and it wasn't noticed. It happens. There is also a very good chance that there's lead dust and chips from old paint or pipes that's being thrown in as well. Probably don't want to make charcoal or anything out of that or any new SPF/Doug tossed in there that maybe got some of it on it you don't notice.
- hanniabu 4y ago
  Isn't new pressure treated wood safe to burn because they no longer have the nasty chemicals they used to put in them?
  - waldothedog 4y ago
    There are a range of treatment methods, some of which have fallen out of mass production but none are recommended for burning

domtron_vox 4y ago

Good point. Never ran into anything problematic myself, but we are fairly rural so construction is usually houses with occasional apartments. But definitely be wary of other stuff that may be in with the wood. As for pressure treated wood, it is pretty obvious what has been treated and what has not, at least in my experience. Not sure if it's the process, or if they intentionally dye it, but treated wood has a strong green tint, though could probably have other colors too depending on the treatment method. But fresh untreated pine has a pretty obvious color.

systems_glitch 4y ago
The old CCA treated stuff got the green from the copper in it. It's hard to tell if the A (arsenic compound) is still in there if it's weathered. Not a good idea to burn scraps from demolished old outdoor stuff.
nemo44x 4y ago
It turns grey pretty fast. But yes it won’t be pink/white like fresh pine. If you know what you’re doing I’m sure you’re fine.