Disposal practices and management alternatives for CCA-treated wood waste Limited information is available about the ultimate fate of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood waste upon disposal. This lack of information, coupled with concerns over potential environmental impacts, has prompted the current investigation, which focuses on establishing an inventory for this waste stream and identifying alternatives to current disposal practices. The state of Florida (USA) was utilized as a case study for this investigation. The results indicate that approximately 300 metric tonnes of the chemical were disposed of in Florida during 1996. By the year 2006 this ®gure will quadruple and by 2016 it will reach a value of 2700 metric tonnes. The majority of CCA-treated wood waste is processed through construction and demolition recycling facilities, resulting in a wood waste composition containing on average 6% CCA-treated wood. The primary market for wood waste in Florida is energy recovery and, as a consequence, the majority of CCA-treated wood waste is inadvertently burned for energy recovery purposes. Recommendations for handling this waste stream are discussed. Recommendations include options for waste minimization, reuse, recycling, and ultimate disposal. Helena Solo-Gabriele University of Miami, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Coral Gables, FL, USA Timothy Townsend University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Gainesville, FL, USA Keywords ± Arsenic; CCA-treated wood; chromium; copper; disposal; USA Corresponding author: Helena Solo-Gabriele, 1251 Memorial Drive, McArthur Building, Room 325, Coral Gables, FL 33146-0603, USA. E-mail: hmsolo@miami.edu Received 15 November 1998, accepted in revised form 17 May 1999 Introduction Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is the most common wood preservative utilized in the USA (AWPI 1997). The purpose of the chemical is to protect wood from biological deterioration. CCA is classi®ed as a waterborne preservative because water is used to carry the treatment chemical into the wood during the treating process. Other waterborne preservatives also contain high concentrations of metals and include acid copper chromate, ammoniacal copper arsenate, and ammionacal copper zinc arsenate. CCA is composed of the oxides of chromium, copper, and arsenic. CCA can be separated into type A, B, or C depending on the relative proportions of metals. The relative proportions range from 35 to 65%, 16 to 45%, and 18 to 20% for chromium, arsenic, and copper, respectively. The amount of CCA utilized to treat the wood or retention level depends on the particular application for the wood product. Low retention values (4 kg m ±3 or 0.25 lb ft ±3 ) are permissible for plywood, lumber, and timbers if the wood is used for above ground applications. Higher retention values are required for load-bearing wood components such as pilings, structural poles, and columns. The highest retention levels (13 and Waste Manage Res 1999: 17: 378±389 Printed in UK ± all rights reserved Copyright # ISWA 1999 Waste Management & Research ISSN 0734±242X 378