The amount of preservative-treated wood available for disposal will continue to increase exponentially in the next several decades as landfill availability declines. At the same time, recent legal ruling on competitiveness among utilities and disposal of ash has clouded the economic outlook for combustion of treated wood for energy recovery. This report identifies current and future options for managing used preservative-treated wood, as well as technological and environmental/regulatory limitations to these options. Re-use, recycling (particularly through the manufacture of wood-based composites), and biodegradation are described as primary alternatives to land disposal and combustion. The report also describes supporting technologies (analytical methods and comminution) for managing used treated wood.

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