Green (PC) disposal of dust

[hdtheater]

I recently bought one of the dust deputy's off Rockler.com. It does a great job of collecting the dust without clogging up the filter. However, I am regularly collecting five gallons of finely powdered MDF dust. Aside from bagging it up in the trash and throwing it away does anybody have any "greener" ways of disposing it?

That stuff is nasty enough as it is.

Thanks,

-Eric

[jeb2cav]

Hi Eric,

My local recycling center separates wood - including pressure treated, etc. They are more than happy to take the bags of "manufactured wood" dust. I'm told it gets sent off to make more "manufactured wood". I don't know how common this is in different locations and communities.

[CountryWoodCrafts]

In cold weather this could be done. . . . Sawdust Stove

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... Stove.aspx

[hdtheater]

Thanks guys. For some reason the site never e-mailed me when you posted. Weird.

I have been bagging my dust in a paper bag from the grocery store and throwing it in my recycle bin along with aluminum cans and paper products. Originally, I used plastic bags and threw it in with the regular garbage. I don't think I have any better options at this point.

I checked the sawdust stove and that looked pretty neat, but I would be concerned about burning any wood that has been processed for sale at the local lumber yard.

I have been doing the bulk of my work with MDF and the dust alone is bad to breathe, I would hate to wonder what the smoke from burning it would do to your system.

Too bad I don't do anything with cedar. I could get some garden mulch out of that.

-Eric

[furyfantoo]

I would hate to wonder what the smoke from burning it would do to your system.

I agree on not burning MDF. I burn wood scraps in a firepot outside the workshop and it was always very noticeable whenever there was MDF in it (I no longer burn MDF). Perhaps the sawdust stove would burn hotter and therefore give a chemically cleaner burn, but I don't think it's a justifiable risk. Just because it doesn't smell bad doesn't mean it's good.