Getting rid of scrap sheetrock

[jt7157]

I've heard several people say that burying sheetrock actually helps the ground by adding lime to the soil. And I've heard of people using a chipper/shredder to grind and spread unused sheetrock onto a garden. Has anybody heard of such a thing, and are there any harmful binding chemicals in sheetrock that one would not want in his ground? Thanks for the help.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Hmm. Don't know about chemicals. Worth checking. If not I'd just bury it. I wouldn't chip or shred it as the dust would be dreadful, and probably not great for the equipment.

 

[MrJimi]

I put 6 4'X8'X1/2" in my back driveway last year and it's all crumpled up now and makes great fill
Go for it

 

[SkunkWerX]

Drywall contains gypsum, which can help break up dense soils like clay based soils and keep them from packing back together solid.

Fire retardant and water resistant drywall (Green board and Blue board) contain other additives, which may or may not be desireable.

I had heard you could leave the drywall out in the elements, and after a couple of rains, and driving over them, they will crumble, you can remove the paper (or a good deal of the paper), crush it up as fine as possible, then use it.

I have never heard of burying sheets or partial sheets of drywall? Anyone?

 

[Bird]

I've tilled the scraps of drywall into my vegetable garden in the past. The paper will decompse, too, given time.

 

[ToadHill]

I used to work at a sheetrock manufacturing plant. Water resistant sheetrock is made by adding ashphalt to the mix. Because of the gypsum all sheetrock is fire resistant.

I have used pieces of it in wet areas to dry them out. I had several areas that never dried out and would fill with water with any rain. Every time you ran over them with the tractor you got a mud hole. Well I filled them with old sheetrock pieces and now I have no problem.

By the way all that goes into sheetrock are gypsum, paper and hide glue to bind the cover paper to the gray back sheet.

 

[Diesel-ME]

Man, the random tidbits of information that one can learn here on TBN is great

~paul

 

[grnspot110]

I've used them in my clay garden in the past, along with lots of mulch tilled in over the yrs., it's no longer a 'clay' garden!

 

[ampsucker]

as the other poster stated, sheet rock is gympsum with paper and glue. gympsum, also known as calcium sulphate, is the same gypsum found at the lawn and garden store in the fertilizer department. it can be used as a trace mineral additive (calcium, like anyone with limestone doesn't already have enough of that) or as a source of slow release sulfer.

only a soil test can tell you if you need these additives. here's a pdf file that tells all about it.

amp

 

[have_blue]

Man, the random tidbits of information that one can learn here on TBN is great

~paul

Another tidbit: Mashed up sheetrock (or bags of powdered gypsum)is also great for clearing up a muddy pond.

 

[kennyd]

A friends Grandfather I know get loads of Sheetrock from contractors in the area, it's piled 12' high or so at times...he spread and tills it in every year to help with clay soil.

 

[jt7157]

Thanks everybody for all the help and advice. The folks who visit this site are always knowledgeable and helpful. I'm always awed by the depth of information available here. Thanks again.

 

[BigEddy]

I throw my scraps on the burn pile with the rest of the stuff - the paper burns up and the gypsum disintegrates into a power. I just scoop it up with the rest of the ashes (and nails) and dump where I need fill. I just make sure I cover it with clean dirt so I don't get punctures.