Disposal practices and management alternatives for CCA-treated wood waste

Abstract

Limited information is available about the ultimate fate of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood waste upon disposal. This lack of information, coupled with concerns over potential environmental impacts, has prompted the current investigation, which focuses on establishing an inventory for this waste stream and identifying alternatives to current disposal practices. The state of Florida (USA) was utilized as a case study for this investigation. The results indicate that approximately 300 metric tonnes of the chemical were disposed of in Florida during 1996. By the year 2006 this figure will quadruple and by 2016 it will reach a value of 2700 metric tonnes. The majority of CCA-treated wood waste is processed through construction and demolition recycling facilities, resulting in a wood waste composition containing on average 6% CCA-treated wood. The primary market for wood waste in Florida is energy recovery and, as a consequence, the majority of CCA-treated wood waste is inadvertently burned for energy recovery purposes. Recommendations for handling this waste stream are discussed. Recommendations include options for waste minimization, reuse, recycling, and ultimate disposal.