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View Full Version : Emptying dust collector - where do you put it?



JohnT Fitzgerald
02-01-2010, 8:10 AM
I'm curious as to what people here do with the contents of the DC when it's emptied. I've been securely taping/closing the bag and putting it out with the trash. I've thought of just emptying it in the small wooded area out in back of the house, but it also has some pressure treated and PVC (from Azek) in it, and I wasn't sure that would be such a good idea.

Rod Sheridan
02-01-2010, 8:22 AM
Hi John, I use my sawdust as mulch, or I give it to my in laws who use it as bedding for their chickens.

I don't have anything other than solid wood shavings, and rarely some dust from BB plywood.

In Toronto I can also put it out with my yard waste, and the city composts it.

Regards, Rod.

Matt Meiser
02-01-2010, 8:41 AM
Mine will occasionally have a little bit of something other than wood in it but I just use it around trees in our side yard (where the prevailing winds carry any dust away from our and our neighbors' house) or dump them way out back on the trails I keep mowed.

My take on the PVC--if its a little from cutting a miscellaneous piece here and there then I wouldn't worry about it. Much better to spread a little in the woods than bury a whole bag of sawdust in the landfill where its never going to break down. If its more than that, consider swapping the bags.

JohnT Fitzgerald
02-01-2010, 8:48 AM
It ended up being a few inches of PVC dust in the bag......and if it was just that, I'd probably dump it in the woods. But the PT in there had me concerned too....didn't want to dump that around....

Matt Meiser
02-01-2010, 9:01 AM
Look at it this way--if you build a deck, how much dust are you going to generate and how much are you going to collect?

Zach England
02-01-2010, 9:05 AM
I compost it unless I have been cutting a lot of MDF or walnut. It takes a long time to break down--six months or more. I have always thought about using it as chicken bedding but have worried about it having little bits of various workshop detritus.

Zach England
02-01-2010, 9:12 AM
I compost it unless I have been cutting a lot of MDF or walnut. It takes a long time to break down--six months or more. I have always thought about using it as chicken bedding but have worried about it having little bits of various workshop detritus.

Zach England
02-01-2010, 9:14 AM
I should add that I also use it as worm bedding.

Scott T Smith
02-01-2010, 11:36 AM
Mine will occasionally have a little bit of something other than wood in it but I just use it around trees in our side yard (where the prevailing winds carry any dust away from our and our neighbors' house) or dump them way out back on the trails I keep mowed.

My take on the PVC--if its a little from cutting a miscellaneous piece here and there then I wouldn't worry about it. Much better to spread a little in the woods than bury a whole bag of sawdust in the landfill where its never going to break down. If its more than that, consider swapping the bags.


+1. Mine gets spread around trees (great for retaining moisture) out in the pastures, composted, or used for trails.

Paul Ryan
02-01-2010, 11:40 AM
I dump it in the woods about 1/2 mile away. It breaks down pretty good in one big pile. Hasn't caused any problems. The only saw I cut PVC and PT on is my miter saw and that bag gets dumped in the garbage. The shop vac gets dumped on my burn pile or in the woods again.

alex grams
02-01-2010, 11:56 AM
I bag and save it for my dad. He puts it down in the fall when he puts down rye seed so that it can cover the seed and the birds don't eat it all.

Jay Jolliffe
02-01-2010, 12:01 PM
Well I use to dump it in the woods behind my shop until my wife saw the rather large pile about 20 30gal barrels:o. She was worried about it catching fire from spontaneous combustion . So now it goes to the dump in plastic bags. I get a slip & it's tax deductible.:D

Bob Borzelleri
02-01-2010, 7:21 PM
Well I use to dump it in the woods behind my shop until my wife saw the rather large pile about 20 30gal barrels:o. She was worried about it catching fire from spontaneous combustion . So now it goes to the dump in plastic bags. I get a slip & it's tax deductible.:D

Your wife is a smart cookie. It don't take much for a large wood dust pile to begin to create it's own heat.

Jim Becker
02-01-2010, 8:58 PM
With the exception of walnut chips, I compost my cyclone's output or use it on pathways in the veggie garden.

Myk Rian
02-01-2010, 9:19 PM
I put a separator between the jointer and planer, and the DC. That goes in the trash. The DC bag gets spread on the path in the woods.

Mark Patoka
02-02-2010, 9:51 AM
Unless I'm planing a bunch of wood I usually fill a bag every couple months. During the summer we have a Compost Tumbler so I use the sawdust to mix with grass clippings for compost to get the optimal nitrogen/carbon ratio. Otherwise I just dump it in the common area woods behind my house. If you spread the pile out it won't be so unsightly and shouldn't have to worry about any combustion problems.

Craig D Peltier
02-02-2010, 10:32 AM
I put mine in yard waste barrel.

On another note to who gives it for chickens. I have heard its bad for them if theres any fine sanding dust. They breathe it in.

Dan Mitchell
02-03-2010, 7:06 PM
Mine goes out in the trash. Oddly, they want it in the regular garbage, not the yard waste.

What's up with the no composting Walnut?

Terry Ventorini
02-04-2010, 7:27 PM
Walnut is toxic to other plants. if you plant a tree, you should plant it away from other plants as it can also be toxic to them