Dear Eco-Monkey >> I’ve got a pile of wood and yard clean-up that I’m not sure what to do with. It’s unused wood from a small construction project, and some branches I trimmed off trees. What should I do with this stuff?

Thanks, Tom

Dear Tom >> Great question. Wood — whether from your yard or from a construction project — is important to keep out of the landfill. In a landfill, organic materials like wood, yard trimmings, food scraps, and even paper break down anaerobically, meaning without oxygen. This process creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. But when lumber and woody scraps are chipped into mulch, they decompose aerobically, with oxygen — avoiding methane and instead improving soil health, conserving water, and suppressing weeds.

Here’s what you can do with your wood waste:

Many towns in Boulder County have their own yard waste drop-off sites that accept items like your branches, but they don’t accept lumber. Fortunately, there’s a one-stop drop for both.

Western Disposal Services’ Materials Management Center accepts branches, tree trimmings, and stumps, as well as unpainted, unstained, and untreated lumber and pallets. Please be sure to keep yard trimmings separate from wood scraps. Yard debris is turned into mulch, and untreated wood is ground into feedstock for local composters.

Thanks to a subsidy provided by the city of Boulder and Boulder County, residents of those communities receive a 40% discount on normal drop-off fees. Landscapers and commercial haulers can still drop off clean wood waste, but won’t receive the subsidy.

The center is located at 2051 63rd St. in Boulder and is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If your leftover construction wood is still in good, reusable shape, consider donating it to Resource Central in Boulder. They accept trim, lumber, plywood, wooden cabinets, doors, and non-upholstered furniture, all of which are resold for reuse in the community.

They do not accept fiberboard, particle board, or lumber with visible glue or attached hardware. If the wood breaks apart easily or has a lot of glue, it’s likely fiberboard — and not accepted. They also strongly prefer donations to be free of nails.

Resource Central is co-located with the Eco-Cycle Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) at 6400 Arapahoe Road in Boulder and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Still have questions about other items? Check out Eco-Cycle’s A—Z Recycling Guide to find out where to recycle, compost, or donate for reuse just about anything in Boulder County. Thanks for giving your discards a second life.

— Eco-Monkey

Got Zero Waste questions? We have answers! Contact recycle@ecocycle.org or call Eco-Cycle at 303-444-6634.