Drywall Disposal

[Sanbar]

Can I bury drywall in the yard or is it too toxic.

Thanks

[Mark]

Not toxic in the least, but it will add considerable alkalinity to that area over time. May or may not beneficial to area plants.

[davefr]

It's Gypsum!! Gypsum is sold as a soil additive. It tends to break up clay.

I'd bury it but distribute it so it's not too c>Can I bury drywall in the yard or is it too toxic.

[Richard J Kinch]

It typically contains a lot of glass fibers which are not something I'd want in my yard.

[Phisherman]

This is an excellent additive for acidic clay soil, in the vegetable garden, or lawns.

[MAG]

Why not just take it to the dump?

[ameijers]

New drywall or used? New scraps are harmless, but old ripout material may include nasty stuff in the paint, spackle, adhesive, etc, sticking to it. Unless you already have a hole, probably more work to dig one than to just take it to the dump. Do put stuff like that in the backfill against foundation- when the paper rots, and it collapses into the inevitable air pockets, it can mess up drainage and/or create a spot for water to collect against the foundation. (Paranoid, I know, but my old man reamed me many a time as a kid for leaving anything other than masonry scrap in the backfill hole.)

aem sends....

[George E. Cawthon]

[George E. Cawthon]

If your soil is acidic, nothing much will happen, if you soil is alkaline and clay, the gypsum will help break it down to become more porous.

[Sanbar]

I have a good spot to bury it and not much of a vehicle to transport it. I live in Wisconsin so I don't know what the soil type is. Thanks for all the replies.

[Mark]

Most of WI is already quite alkaline (limestone), so there wouldn't be any benefit to adding to the soil, but as long as you cover it with at least 6" of topsoil, it won't do any harm, either.

[Sanbar]

How quickly will it decompose?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Made from gypsum, it will take about 1,000,000 years to decompose. Ed

[Mark]

Depends on how you define it.

Once it gets soaked, it will (if the dirt shifts) fall apart into a mass. Over time, it will leach into the soil. The exact amount of time to disappear completely is highly variable, depending on moisture, movement (frost heaving), starting mass, etc.

You do need to be thinking in terms of many years, though. But it doesn't make solid enough fill that I'd build on it.

[Harry K]

My experience. I broke it up into small pieces (6-12"), threw it on the garden and rototilled it. Still turned chunks two years later. The problem was more the paper cover than the gypsum.

Harry K

[jtees4]

Not in our lifetime.

NEVER FORGET!!!

[henryc]

| >

| > > Most of WI is already quite alkaline (limestone), so there | > > wouldn't be any benefit to adding to the soil, but as long | > > as you cover it with at least 6" of topsoil, it won't do any | > > harm, either. | > > > >

| > > > > Sanbar wrote: | > > > > >

| > > > > > Can I bury drywall in the yard or is it too toxic. | > > > > >

| > > > > > Thanks | > > >

| > > >

| > > >

| > >

| > > -- | > > Mark | > >

| > > The truth as I perceive it to be. | > > Your perception may be different. | > >

| > > Triple Z is spam control. | | My experience. I broke it up into small pieces (6-12"), threw it on | the garden and rototilled it. Still turned chunks two years later. | The problem was more the paper cover than the gypsum. | | Harry K

[jeff]

replying to Edwin Pawlowski, jeff wrote: Scientific