How long it takes to degrade the wood

How long it takes to degrade the wood

By Dr. Kyle Muller

Wood is a plant material that comes directly from trees, either from the trunk, branches or roots. Wood is characterized by its great qualities, making this stand out on other materials, such as metal or plastic. Some of these qualities are that wood is a biodegradable material and, in addition, when used, it needs less energy to transform it into a product, without forgetting that it is also a large thermal insulator. Thanks to these mentioned qualities, it is normal for wood to be used for different purposes, such as the manufacture of containers, furniture, rural houses, etc.

If you want to know how many years it takes to degrade the wood and other details about the more degradation of the wood, continue reading this interesting ecology article where it will be explained in detail How long it takes to degrade the woodwhy it is important to recycle it, how to reuse it and how to recycle it properly.

How long does the wood take to degrade

Each material depending on its composition and origin, has a certain time of degradation, for example, a PET plastic bottle can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, while the paper only year. But,How long it takes to degrade the wood?

He Wood degradation time In comparison to other materials, being a natural material that comes directly, it is relatively short. It is estimated that a wooden stake takes time to decompose between 2 and 3 years. However, if the wood, for example, is painted or has been done any treatment, the degradation time of it could reach Until 15 years.

We encourage you to learn more about this material with this other post about the types of wood, their characteristics and classification.

How long it takes to degrade the wood - how long does it take to degrade the wood

Why it is important to recycle wood

Both recycling and the reuse of wood are important because, thus, We avoid the extraction of more new woodthat is to say new raw materials. Therefore, We prevent forests from being deforestedsince the high demand for wood currently contributes to the deforestation of large natural areas.

Another reasons why reuse and recycle is important, is that thanks to these two simple actions, it is achieved reduce waste generation. Waste reduction prevents much of our waste from ending in nature and, therefore, that they have a negative impact on it. In addition, the amount of waste in landfills is also reduced, it is important that the least possible amount of waste to landfills is allocated, since they generate polluting gases and also their poor management can cause the soil and landscape to degrade, as well as that groundwater and superficial waters are contaminated.

Here we tell you much more about the importance of wood recycling.

How long it takes to degrade wood - why it is important to recycle wood

How to reuse wood

When we have old wood that does not work for us, or some wood product like a furniture that has broken, before taking it to recycle, as the first option you can always see the possibility of reusing wood. Some Ideas to reuse wood They can be:

  • Manufacture a table with wooden boxes or boats used for vegetables. Thus it is possible to obtain a table that could be used in the living room, such as bedside table or for outside. In addition, you can paint or varnish to give it a prettier style that is consistent with the decoration of our home.
  • The steps of the wooden stairs, if these are old or if the staircase is no longer used, can be restored to make a fantastic shelf to save the books and place decorative objects.
  • With pallets and a little creativity, you can manufacture tables and sofas. They can also be used to make hangers to hang accessories such as hats, scarves, bags, among others. You can even wear wooden pallets to make a composter to take more care of your garden or garden.

How long does it take to degrade wood - How to reuse wood

How to recycle wood

Wood is a recyclable material, therefore, that old wood that no longer serves can be recycled. In fact, the recycling of wood is among one of the cheapest and clean, since it does not need chemical treatments or important physical processes. Exist two ways to recycle wooddepending on its size:

  • The smallest wood, type the fruit boxes, can be deposited in the yellow container, also known as containers.
  • Those wooden objects that are large, such as furniture, must be transferred to a clean point, since it will be taken to its corresponding recycling plant.

As we have mentioned before the Wooden recycling It is one of the cleanest and economical. The steps has followed in the wood recycling process are:

  1. Ocular inspection to determine each type of wood, as well as its quality.
  2. All improper that are mixed with wood are discarded.
  3. Once it is classified, the wood is crushed to get chip or sawdust. All those elements such as screws are also separated in this phase.
  4. With recycled wood you can obtain paper, make compost, use for livestock, produce agglomerate boards and also to generate energy thanks to gasification or incineration processes.

If you want to read more articles similar to How long it takes to degrade the woodwe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.

Literature
  • Ecoembes. (2018). How is old wood recycled? Where to deposit it?: Https://coembesdudasreciclaje.es/donde
  • Architecture news. 20 ways to reuse wooden platforms: https://noticias.arq.com.mx/detalles/16634.html#.yammkehkjiu
Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
Published in