First of all, what is plasterboard? Plasterboard is a lightweight construction material, used in interior walls and ceilings. It’s typically made up of a gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) and water mix core, sandwiched between paper. Gypsum is the primary material used in traditional wet plaster.
Using plasterboard creates a smooth wall surface, perfect for finishing or painting straight onto. This material is incredibly useful in building as it’s very light, easy to cut or score and snap, and it’s a quicker alternative to plaster.
Overall, plasterboard is a great material in construction, until it comes time to dispose of it. While removing the material is easy enough, it’s what to do with it after that often complicates things.
In this post, we’ll answer your frequently asked questions about plasterboard waste, how to get rid of it, and what PSH can do to help.
Why can’t you dispose of plasterboard? Why you should handle it responsibly
When dry, plasterboard is a safe and useful construction material. When wet, however, it starts to break down in a process called putrefaction, which means the plasterboard begins to decay. When this happens, the gypsum releases toxic gas called Hydrogen Sulphide, which can cause respiratory problems, eye issues, and even comas in severe cases. This gas is also flammable, and has the potential to cause acid rain if released in large volumes.
Hydrogen Sulphide is dangerous to humans and animals, the environment, and can contaminate other materials, which is why you can’t throw plasterboard away like any other waste. Because of this, plasterboard has been banned from landfill in the UK since 2005.
Can I put plasterboard in a skip?
No, you can’t put plasterboard loose in a skip with other waste materials. If it comes into contact with anything wet or biodegradable, it will start to decay and release harmful gas and contaminate the rest of the waste.
You can, however, put it in a specialist plasterboard skip or in plasterboard sacks, where it will be collected and disposed of correctly. We offer these skips and bags to our clients – give us a call to enquire about our range of skips available to house plasterboard, or select plasterboard bags for your standard skip when you check out on our website.
Can I take plasterboard to the tip?
Most local tips will state that you can only bring small amounts of plasterboard, separate from other waste and typically in bags. Prices will vary depending on amount, but if you have more plasterboard waste than can fill one small suitcase, it’s recommended that you hire a skip or plasterboard bags with a standard skip to collect the waste instead.
How do I dispose of plasterboard? Do I need a special skip?
You can dispose of plasterboard by placing it in PSH-supplied polypropelene bags away from other waste, especially wet or biodegradable waste. You can also hire skips from PSH specifically for plasterboard for large amounts, which is ideal for building renovations where you’ll be tearing out whole walls.
All of our skip sizes are available to hire as plasterboard specific skips upon request, from our miniature 2 yard skip to our 40 yard roll on skip. If you know there will be other waste needing to be disposed of alongside plasterboard, it’s best to hire a standard skip and add our polypropylene bags to keep plasterboard separate. We offer small plasterboard bags (98L) and agg tonne bags (729L), both of which can be used to hold waste plasterboard.
What does PSH do with plasterboard?
Once we receive your plasterboard waste in bags or a specialist skip, we recover and safely send it to a recycling facility in the UK with the capacity to process old plasterboard. Here, they shred it and remove the paper, while the gypsum core is broken down into a powder. Next, both of these materials are recycled to create new paper and gypsum, which are then used in the creation of new plasterboard.
Please ensure that any plasterboard that comes to us from your skip is either in separate polypropylene bags, or in a skip for plasterboard that you have requested from us. Leaving decaying plasterboard mixed in with other materials can also harm our workers, so please keep them in mind when disposing of your waste. Think twice before adding plasterboard in skips without polypropylene bags.
Specialist plasterboard skips in Norwich
When disposing of plasterboard, it’s important that you do it right. Here at PSH Environmental, we can take that old plasterboard off your hands and send it off to become new plasterboard, but only if it comes to us in safe condition. Give us a call to enquire about specialist plasterboard skips, or choose one of our skips for hire and add our plasterboard bags to keep it separate from other waste.
Recycling is incredibly important to us, with creating a greener future at the forefront of our mission. By disposing of plasterboard correctly, you help us strive for a cleaner, healthier environment, even by doing something as small as separating your skip waste. To learn more, just give us a call on 01603 721533 and speak to one of our friendly experts at our Norfolk site.
