Short on Lumber? Recycle Old Lumber or Sell to Buy More Lumber

The lumber industry is in for a tight year, with supply remaining low and prices high. The International Wood Markets Group in Vancouver estimates that the price of lumber will skyrocket to $600 in the next four years. This plays against home builders and their clients, as most building or renovating jobs are done with wood. When a commodity grows expensive, recycling is one of the usual solutions; but can you actually recycle wood for building?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it's possible, but you can't do it the same way as recycling common solid waste. Treated wood or lumber shorter than six feet are examples of wood that can't be recycled and reused for home building or renovating. Painted wood can be reused as long as you can remove the paint; otherwise, it's off to waste disposal.

Fortunately, recycling isn't the only way to cope with rising lumber prices. Wood waste can be brought to a reuse outlet for cash, namely a Habitat for Humanity ReStore branch. If you can't reuse the wood for a custom-made home, you can always sell it and use the earnings to fund your need for lumber. In other words, you can use selling as a Plan B if recycling wood proves to be hard or impossible.