Treated Wood Waste Disposal

Waste haulers in Marin County cannot accept treated wood waste (TWW) at their facilities, in their debris boxes, or in the garbage, recycling, or composting bins as treated wood is considered hazardous waste. Neither the Marin Resource Recovery Center nor the Marin Household Hazardous Waste facility can accept TWW from residential or commercial generators. To find a disposal facility location authorized to accept treated wood waste visit the California Land Disposal Program’s website.

What is Treated Wood?

Treated wood is wood that has gone through a treatment process with chemical preservatives to protect it against pests and environmental conditions. Typically, treated wood is used in exterior applications where ground or water contact is likely.

What qualifies as treated wood?

Treated wood means wood that has been treated with a chemical preservative for purposes of protecting the wood against attacks from insects, microorganisms, fungi, and other environmental conditions that can lead to decay of the wood, and the chemical preservative is registered pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. Sec. 136 et seq.). These preservatives often include one or more of the following constituents: arsenic, chromium, copper, pentachlorophenol, and creosote.

What doesn’t qualify as treated wood?

• Natural wood with no chemical preservatives.
• Natural wood coated in paint or surface finish such as lacquer, shellac, polyurethane and varnish.

To find more information related to the topic, visit the DTSC website.