Plasterboard Disposal

Plasterboard disposal regulations are a set of strict guidelines businesses must adhere to for the safe disposal of gypsum waste to minimise harm to the environment. Plasterboard is classed as hazardous waste and it is a legal requirement to dispose of it appropriately. Businesses are legally obliged to follow the below protocols:

• Segregation – Plasterboard must be separated from other waste types, especially biodegradable waste.
• Safe disposable – Plasterboard cannot be put into landfill. It can be disposed of at local recycling centres or through a licensed waste carrier

Plasterboard is recycled by collecting it separately, removing any contaminants, and then crushing it to separate the gypsum core from the paper backing. The gypsum is cleaned, ground into a fine powder, and reused to make new plasterboard or other products. The paper lining is also recovered and recycled into materials. 

Recycled plasterboard is mainly turned into new plasterboard. The gypsum waste is ground down and can be used to manufacture concrete, building blocks and new bricks, or is sometimes used as a soil conditioner for agricultural purposes. The paper backing is recycled into new paper products, such as bags and toilet paper. 

Plasterboard waste and gypsum waste are essentially the same thing. ‘Plasterboard’ and ‘gypsum’ are often used interchangeably. When people use either term, they are referring to the dry sheets that you use to line walls with ready for plastering. You might also have heard them called ‘dry wall’, which is the American term. 

Technically, gypsum is the pure mineral material that creates the finished plasterboard product and then has paper lining added to it. However, few people make this distinction, so plasterboard waste and gypsum waste tend to mean the same thing.

Yes, there are some types of plasterboard that we cannot accept. We can safely recycle plasterboard that is clean or lightly contaminated and properly separated. These are the common exceptions:

• Heavily contaminated plasterboard – For example those mixed with food waste, soil, paint, or with with nails or electrical wall plugs attached
• Plasterboard containing asbestos – This must be handled as a separate, highly regulated hazardous waste stream
• Mixed general waste loads – Where plasterboard has not been segregated from other types of non-hazardous waste
• Wet or degraded plasterboard – This is too difficult for recycling facilities to process