getting rid of stuff

[charlie-ia]

its just dawned on me how much "stuff" doing up this place is going to generate!
i know theres all this save the planet malarky going on, but on a more basic level, what can we reuse?

the first thing that springs to mind is the stuff coming out the side of the window. i scooped a pile of sandy stuff off the windowsill, that dislodged a gentle tricke, and before it stopped i had a half bucket of nice sandygritty plastery stuff. now i know that its just the walls powdering to dust in front of my eyes, but not to worry.

if this is how much i get from sweeping the windowsill, imagine how much there will be when we remove the "beauty board" (every room)

seeing as though this is what walls are made of, cant we just mix it up again and put it back? or should we spread it on the garden?

and the plastic on the walls. can we just re-use it for whatever, or is it likely to be very unhygenic/toxic?

would the best way to get rid of rotten wood be to rent a chipper? dont suppose the nails are much fun. maybe build a hedgehog house insted.

i do know the carpet is going straight on the vegetable patch.
we havent started yet, so i dont know what else we're going to find.

know any uses for rotten plasterbard?
hints and tips on a postcard please!

 

[Flyfisher]

You certainly know how to make a chap feel guilty . . . I was just planning to hire a skip next week in preparation for clearing some outbuildings.

 

[NT]

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Re-use_%26_Recycle

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Disposal_Options

NT

 

[NT]

> the first thing that springs to mind is the stuff coming out the side of the window.

dirty sand is ok for use on the ground, eg for bedding blocks. I wouldnt make new mortar with it, but if money is too tight to buy sand you certainly can do.


> seeing as though this is what walls are made of, cant we just mix it up again and put it back?

You can, but you get a dirty muck contaminated mortar, with unknown ingredients that might behave poorly.


> or should we spread it on the garden?

can do

> and the plastic on the walls. can we just re-use it for whatever

yes, if you mean sheet plastic


> or is it likely to be very unhygenic/toxic?

no, its when burnt that plastic is toxic.


> would the best way to get rid of rotten wood be to rent a chipper? dont suppose the nails are much fun. maybe build a hedgehog house insted.

Burn it, dont waste time & money on it. If you have a fireplace, maybe stack it for use. If you dont but will have burning facilities, a burner that can take large wood saves a great amount of labour. Eg a brick built external wood boiler that can take 6' logs.


> know any uses for rotten plasterbard?

All this stuff can be used in mortar where you dont mind a low quality mortar, but that rules out most mortar apps.


NT

 

[biffvernon]

>know any uses for rotten plasterbard?

It's basically paper, which rots, and gypsum - calcium sulphate - with perhaps small amounts of magnesium and carbonate. It will be fine on the garden and is actually used as a fertiliser, but use it gradually over time.

 

[NT]

If youre into experimental theres always papercrete. This stuff can be made from many of your junk materials.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Papercrete

 

[charlie-ia]

papercrete certainly looks interesting.
thanks for all the useful links.
i bet theres tales about stuff that you lot have thrown out that you wish youd kept but never thought of at the time, that we havent come across yet.

i am little concerned about the chemicals in the old paint. ok up the chimney?
We've beem warned about the spy in the sky and told not to have any rubbish fires outside, so every thing will have to go in the fireplaces.

 

[Flyfisher]

We've beem warned about the spy in the sky and told not to have any rubbish fires outside

Surely not. What's wrong with a good old fashioned bonfire?

 

[charlie-ia]

http://www.clare.ie/Environment/Burning_of_Waste.html

 

[Penners]

gypsum - calcium sulphate - with perhaps small amounts of magnesium and carbonate. It will be fine on the garden

Gypsum is also useful in breaking down clay soils, but it'll work best if it's crushed to powder before you apply it.

 

[worms]

Charlie-ia, to quote Chris de Burgh "it's a long, long way from Clare to here" and the rules are probably defined differently in different local authority areas, so I'd be wary of accepting an Irish Council as an indication of the law where you live. As an example, it is still legal for farmers to burn bale wrap around here in an incinerator (ie 40 gallon drum), but illegal elsewhere in UK.

There are however, daft consequences of various pieces of legislation, like sawmills can sell firewood as long as that is what they set out to produce, but their offcuts are "waste" and shouldn't be used to heat the workshop.

When you consider the number of incinerator bins that the likes of B&Q sell (at silly prices!), you obviously wouldn't be alone if you ignored the rules!

 

[Flyfisher]

From the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection website at http://www.nsca.org.uk/pages/environment_facts/bonfire_laws.cfm :-

It is a common misconception that there are specific byelaws that prohibit garden bonfires or specify times they can be lit - there aren't.

 

[Penners]

to quote Chris de Burgh "it's a long, long way from Clare to here"

And to quote Ian Hunter
"Yeah it's a mighty long way down rock'n'roll
From the Liverpool docks to the Hollywood Bowl".

Sorry - I just felt the need for a quick Hoople.

 

[Flyfisher]

. . . . all the way from Memphis!

 

[charlie-ia]

sorry, clicked the link to the wrong council, but our new house is in ireland, not too far from clare.
The warning was from my mother who's neighbour got caught by the council helicopter (also in ireland). And i always do what my mother tells me.

thats beside the point though. im just trying to be sure of what its safe to burn indoors, to heat the house, and to get rid of the damp. We tried to light the fire the other day and only a small proportion of smoke went up the chimney, so im quite aware that some of the smoke is nasty. (though i hope this will improve) We will have plenty to burn without storing junk that woud be better disposed of elsewhere

a lot of our wood that needs replacing is heavily coated in layers of old gloss which i assume has at least lead in in, and perhaps other stuff.
i dont know enough to judge wether the lead will just go away up the chimney, or i should be more careful with what i burn indoors.

My dad was always careful what he burnt on the fire, but i think that was more to keep melted plastic out of his nice hearth. on the other hand everything else went on the coke boiler,(in the garage) including my poor deceased guineapig! And not a ceremonial cremation may i add!!

theres also old furniture with foam on, which im really sure isnt nice for burning, so ill have to go to the tip sometime anyway.

Im really trying to categorise the waste before im faced with mountain of assorted rubbish, and better things to do.

 

[Flyfisher]

A cold chimney can cause problems when lighting a fire. The 'plug' of cold air can take a while to be 'pushed up' the chimney, causing smoke to spill out into the room until things are working properly. If your chimney is still smoking when warmed up then you may have other problems.

I find that poking a few sheets of newspaper up the chimney and lighting them works quite well to 'flush out' the cold air. I can then light the fire with no smoke problems. This is not necessary during the winter when the fire is lit every day and the chimney remains warm.

As for what to burn, I think I would steer clear of burning painted wood and certainly anything with a plastic content. Domestic fires generally burn quite cool, leading to all sorts of nasty combustion products. Such fumes can be highly irritating, not to mention toxic (dioxins anyone?) and I wouldn't even burn plastic on a bonfire nevermind on an indoor fire. I suppose it might be safer in a fully enclosed burner, but I still wouldn't recommend it, especially if you have chimney problems.

As for the council using a helicopter to spy on such things, don't they have better things to spend your money on? :roll:

 

[Nemesis]

Make sure your chimney is clear of debris before attempting a fire.

 

[alice]

I will second Flyfisher's caution on burning plastic or items coated with emulsion (latex) in a chimney. I've fired ceramics that my students have painted with acrylic or latex (another story, let's just say I didn't know it at the time) and even at the high temperatures of a ceramics kiln (1800 -2400F) a residue still remains and the smell and fumes are awful. I would imagine that burning paint in a chimney would be like burning pine or other resinous wood and will leave quite a sooty coat in the flue.

alice

 

[Penners]

old furniture with foam on, which im really sure isnt nice for burning

Quite right. If the foam burns, it will give off poisonous fumes. If it's a more modern "combustion modified" foam, then it won't burn anyway.

 

[Nemesis]

And sweep the chimney before any fire is attempted!!!

I speak with feeling, having once had a chimney fire in a chimney which was blocked pretty solid with twigs from nesting birds!

It had not been used for about three years, a smoke test seemed to incicate it was drawing...