Plasterboard recycling into soil

Nik · Mar 15, 2005

I have some extra pieces of sheetrock left over from finishing off an attic room. I hate to throw this in some landfill especially if this could be a source of gypsum added to a field. The plasterboard is unpainted. Should I just place this into a large pile of soil I have to decompose or does new sheetrock contain large amounts of harmful chemical additives that would contaminate the soil?

GerardC · Mar 15, 2005

I burn mine a little at a time. Get the fire nice and hot and just keep feeding it. Gerard

AndyM · Mar 16, 2005

I give my scraps to a neighbor. He tills them into his garden.

EddieWalker · Mar 16, 2005

Do you have a pond? There's a thread on PondBoss.com about using it in ponds to clear up the water.

I always like to have a few pieces for repairs.

HomeBrew2 · Mar 16, 2005

It makes a great soil amendment especially in clay. My neighbor broke his leftovers up and tilled it into the soil for his new lawn. Many others have done it in these parts.

Dargo · Mar 16, 2005

I was told that I could bury it. So, over the years, I've planted tons of the stuff. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I don't know if it helped anything, but it surely hasn't hurt anything. The weeds grow just fine over where it's buried. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

slapshot · Mar 16, 2005

Whats needed (and I'm not the handy one to make it) is a tractor attachment that will grind up & spread (like a seeder) bits of sheet rock.
I'm about 30 days away from having our new home drywalled I know that there's going to be TONS of scrap waiting for me.

-dave

KirkMcD · Mar 16, 2005

I read somewhere that if your are going to till it into your soil, do it while the board is still hard. Do not let it sit out in the rain, trying to soften it up. You'll just end up with a gooey mess.

Nik · Mar 16, 2005

Thanks for your replies. I'll break up the board into small pieces and spread it into a field or mix it up into my soil pile. My soil is hard clay.

PineRidge · Mar 16, 2005

If you plant a garden use it between the rows to keep the weeds from establishing. Then at the end of the season till whats left into the soil. It will help the garden soil.