# Burying sheetrock



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

I have a customer that is currently getting his house sheetrocked. He wants to get a dumpster to haul the scraps out. Somebody told him just to bury it and the sheetrockers told him that is what happens on every job they do. I told him that I wouldn't do it, especially with a well. What is in the glue that can contaminate the soil and how many others do you know of that actually do this ?


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## theartisan (Apr 16, 2007)

rino1494 said:


> I have a customer that is currently getting his house sheetrocked. He wants to get a dumpster to haul the scraps out. Somebody told him just to bury it and the sheetrockers told him that is what happens on every job they do. I told him that I wouldn't do it, especially with a well. What is in the glue that can contaminate the soil and how many others do you know of that actually do this ?


if he buries it down gradient of his well he wouldnt have to worry about contamination. unless he has a couple wells in the proximity he wont be able to tell the flow. i still wouldnt advise it. if the local regulatory agency happens upon it (unlikely) he might faces fines for operating an unregulated landfill :w00t:


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

That is probably the stupidist thing I have heard of in the last 10 years. I guess he should just bury his half empty paint cans and spread his used motor oil on the fence line too.


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## WNYcarpenter (Mar 2, 2007)

Tscarborough said:


> That is probably the stupidist thing I have heard of in the last 10 years. I guess he should just bury his half empty paint cans and spread his used motor oil on the fence line too.


 Nice post!!


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## FINISH TECH (Mar 1, 2007)

wtf do that **** in cali and the h.o well shoot you!!:laughing:


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## oldgoat (Aug 18, 2005)

Don't think you can bury sheetrock legally, but in rual areas you might get by ok. I do know a guy that takes waste motor oil to paint his fence with so the horses won't chew on it. I know when I took out one wall in my house there were several pieces of sheetrock stuck in between though.


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

Dumping sheetrock into areas on property has been done for years. 

Basic Gypsum based sheetrock is completely bio-degradable. Gypsum comes from the earth. 

There are processing plants (recycling plants) that take sheetrock scraps and grind them down to be used as a lime additive for soils. Farms purchase it because of it's discounted costs.
If you put lime down on your property/lawns, your are putting down powdered gypsum.

http://useit.umaine.edu/factsheet/fsgy.htm

http://useit.umaine.edu/materials/gypsum/beneficial_uses.htm


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## theartisan (Apr 16, 2007)

AtlanticWBConst said:


> Dumping sheetrock into areas on property has been done for years.
> 
> Basic Gypsum based sheetrock is completely bio-degradable. Gypsum comes from the earth.
> 
> ...


I'm not a chemist but notice that

gypsum = calcium sulphate dihydrate (CaSO4•2H2O) (Calcium + Sulfur + Oxygen • Hydrogen + Oxygen)

lime = CaO (Calcium + Oxygen)

not exactly the same thing, and I also note this statement 

Normally gypsum sheetrock is a relatively harmless material, but when disposed of in landfills or dumped in the ocean, it can become a hazard to the environment, releasing toxic gases and leachates in areas of high rainfall. When combined with anaerobic bacteria, organic matter, and water, gypsum sheetrock can create hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S), which causes harm to fish and in high enough quantities can harm humans, too  (Musick, 1992). Gypsum is a basic material, chemically speaking. Therefore, when gypsum leaks into the ground, it can significantly raise the pH of the soil and groundwater (Harler 1998).

I would be inclined to dispose of it properly and not dig a hole out back by the barn.


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

Yes, dumping sheetrock in landfills can be hazardous because of what is going on in a landfill as debris breaks down and produces methane gasses and other dangerous vapors. 
Your YARD is not a landfill producing dangerous gasses and possible mixed contaminents ... 

Of course gypsum raises PH in the soil, why do you think people/landscapers are using it on properties....because it looks pretty? ... 

Additional link information:

_"Gypsum, or *calcium sulftate*, also serves purposes in the food industry as an additive that can provide nutritional value and other benefits. Providing necessary dietary supplement, calcium sulfate can be used as a firming agent in a variety of canned foods, and it is a key ingredient in confections, gelatins, and some frozen desserts. Gypsum has actually been used for more than 2,000 years as a tofu coagulant and can also be used to stiffen flour-based dough. Calcium sulfate can be used to keep fruits and vegetable firm by bonding calcium to the negatively charged carboxylic groups in pectin present in the food to increase the water-holding capacity. Aside from nutritional aspects, gypsum is also used in cleaning agents, cosmetics, and toothpaste...

....Calcium sulfate is actually the best available ingredient for use in increasing the water hardness levels in areas where fish, plankton, and algae live. Gypsum will increase the calcium amount needed for growth and development as well as make the water less muddy. Gypsum will not affect the pH or alkalinity of the water. 

Gypsum is used as an additive to bodies of water in order to improve water quality by making suspended clay particles sink to the bottom of the water body. Calcium sulfate is actually the only completely safe substance that can be used to improve water clarity_

Sure dumping several hundred tons of sheetrock near a body of natural water or a drinking source is going to pose issues (Cow crap is great for soil, but dumping alot of it near water will cause issues too) Several tons of sheetrock, is not what is left over on your typical small drywall project. Lawn ferilizer: It's good for your grass, providing necessary nutrients, but dump a pile (concentration) of it in a specific area, and it will burn your lawn/vegetation.

Whether people want to dispose of it in a hole, or recycle it.....that's up to them.
It is far from being a toxic or dangerous substance to people or to the environment. 

I am providing the information for people to understand what sheetrock is and that it is not a 'toxic substance'...as some un-informed posters have insinuated.


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

FINISH TECH said:


> wtf do that **** in cali and the h.o well shoot you!!:laughing:


Out here we have Environmental Police (EP), and they are armed, and because they are not of the executive-branch-of-government-type police, they do not have to follow Police protocols about chase, firearm use, etc...

Mostly they drive around in huge gas guzzling trucks, which I find hilarious

Well, they drive the trucks when they are not driving around on dirt bikes and ATVs making sure no one is driving around on dirt bikes or ATVs

I haven't looked it up by there's no way burying sheetrock is legal out here
We can't even pee out behind the shed w/o the EP going all cop show take-down on us


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## theartisan (Apr 16, 2007)

AtlanticWBConst said:


> I am providing the information for people to understand what sheetrock is and that it is not a 'toxic substance'...as some un-informed posters have insinuated.


I stated that I wouldnt do it b/c of legal ramifications. 

Just for kicks I looked up the regulations for my state

*Construction Debris*

Construction Debris Renovation and building sites usually generate scrap building materials. Although such construction debris may be disposed of at almost any solid waste landfill, it may be less expensive to haul it to a permitted construction/demolition (C/D) debris landfill [PDF file] rather than dispose of it at a municipal solid waste landfill. Anyone considering burying or burning construction debris should first read the material below.
*Burying Construction Debris*

Uncontaminated rocks, bricks, concrete, road demolition debris, and dirt are not subject to solid waste regulations (329 IAC 10-3-1 [PDF file]), and therefore do not have to be disposed of in a landfill. Such debris may be left or buried on-site, or may be used off-site as fill, so long as it is not placed in a wetland or floodway. However, no other types of construction debris may be buried or left on-site. Some building materials can compress or decay over time such that structures built on unknown burial sites could, at some future date, be subject to subsidence. 


*Grinding Construction Debris*

IDEM also allows clean (untreated) lumber, card board, and *gypsum wallboard* to be ground (wood must be ground into pieces of 2 inches or less, *gypsum into pieces of 1 inch or less*) and incorporated into the soil as mulch, as a soil amendment, or to facilitate erosion control or drainage.

Additionaly this is demolition debris and could contain foreign materials, or lead based paint which are subject to additional guidelines.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

It is not toxic, it is trash.


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## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

trash pits a trash pit

illegal whether it's drywall or empty coke bottles


your risk either way ...


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## house bldr (Jul 11, 2006)

Termites love the paper on the back of sheetrock, if they are a problem in your area this would be like sending them an invite to your house!


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