How get rid of sawdust?

[jpmcn]

How do you handle your sawdust? At this point, I have a 30 gal container that I need to get rid of. Of course, I'm continuing make more sawdust. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Oka]

Compost is the most common, Usually there is a local compost place that accepts it. Another way would to dump in a field if you have one or have a ranch/farmer friend.

 

[Graywolf]

It really depends on where you live. I’ve used it for fire starter, mulch, add to a compost pile. If you live in the city you may want to check your local waste management. I live in High Point and they have a compost site I occasionally donate to.

 

[creasman]

I generally dump mine in the woods behind my house (still my property). Composting can be tricky, depending on the type of sawdust and how you plan to use the compost. For example, walnut can be toxic to other plants. It's a natural feature of the tree that it uses to suppress other plant growth under its canopy. Likewise, if you're sawing treated lumber I'd avoid composting that as well.

 

[Dee2]

The clean shavings I generate go to a friends chicken coop. “Contaminanted” sawdust from the DC go to the woods. The latter may contain filings, plastic, etc. if detrimental to farm animals, compost or landfill.

 

[JRedding]

As Dee2 mentioned, someone with chickens will be your friend forever - i did this in California for years and had a near endless supply of eggs. Here in NC, I just dump it in the back among the trees.

 

[drw]

I don't have a yard that can accommodate dumping/composting. My dust collection is a 35 gallons barrel lined with a plastic bag...so I simple put the bag in the trash container and let the town haul it away.

 

[bob vaughan]

I don't have a yard that can accommodate dumping/composting. My dust collection is a 35 gallons barrel lined with a plastic bag...so I simple put the bag in the trash container and let the town haul it away.

Pretty much the same here. I do a lot of walnut so those shavings along with dust gets bagged in 40 gal bags and out to the trash.

As a newly married and in our first house, I planted some tomato plants and mulched them with walnut shavings and dust because it looked good. Watered them a lot. I learned a lesson in agriculture back in 1973. To say my crop didn't end well would be an understatement.

 

[Echd]

Fortunately, sawdust burns fairly well.

 

[Tarhead]

Find a local composter: makesoil.org and sharewaste.com

 

[jpmcn]

Thank all of you for your response to my post. At this point, I think that I will try to find someone that raises chicken to see if they are interested in my sawdust. In the meantime, I will put it in my garage that I pay to have collected.

 

[mighty_fine_sawdust]

Old post I know but I wanted to share this: I found this a few months back. I haven't had a chance to try it yet because I'm waiting for my shop and future home to finish construction. We plan to have a fire pit in the back yard and this will put the sawdust to good use.

Here's the original article I found and it uses old egg crates vice paper cups:

How to Make Egg Carton Fire Starters - Counting My Chickens

Starting a fire is easy with these DIY egg carton fire starters. They are fun and easy to make with stuff you otherwise would throw away.

www.countingmychickens.com

 

[Martin Roper]

I bag it and put it in the trash.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Thank all of you for your response to my post. At this point, I think that I will try to find someone that raises chicken to see if they are interested in my sawdust. In the meantime, I will put it in my garage that I pay to have collected.

Kudos to you for trying to find an eco-friendly solution.

 

[SJWiehe]

I put it on my garden walkways. Keeps the weeds down and composts into really nice soil.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I live in the city. The garbage truck takes it away. Unfortunately they will not go to my shop and sweep it up or empty my dust collector drum

 

[Willemjm]

Saw dust makes compost, but it takes a few years to decompose. If It it is not ready, it Rob’s the soil of nitrogen, with poor results.

 

[Mike Davis]

I have several final resting places depending on the type of micro wood.

Shavings of good size go in contractor garbage bags and eventually get made into fire starter bags, cups and sold to campgrounds or just handfuls for the fireplace.

Tablesaw and dust collector fines get distributed in the garden paths or woods depending on species, walnut to woods, everything else gets in the garden. I don’t deal in chipboard nor MDF.

The lathe chips get scattered in the woods or used as mulch around the yard plants.

 

[Sharpshooter]

How do you handle your sawdust? At this point, I have a 30 gal container that I need to get rid of. Of course, I'm continuing make more sawdust. Thanks for your reply.

What area are you located? Asking in case shop is within a reasonable distance to come and pick it up.
Grandson uses sawdust for various livestock needs.
Farm is in eastern Rowan County, NC
Thanks

 

[NOTW]

plastic bag in the trash can is my go to now, i used to just dump the dust bin into the can at the street and watch the cloud of dust when the trash make picked it up but I have gotten nicer as i've gotten older