Would you like to dispose of wooden railway sleepers?

Railway sleepers have to meet many requirements. Of course, in addition to their operational characteristics, they must be able to withstand the weather, in particular. Various materials have been used for the production of railway sleepers. There are railway sleepers made of softwood (pine, larch), hardwood (beech, oak) and there are railway sleepers made of steel, pre-stressed concrete or plastic.

Wooden railway sleepers must be treated with wood preservatives to resist weathering and infestation by wood pests. Wooden railway sleepers are usually recycled and used for energy recovery in so-called biomass power plants. These power plants generate electricity from this recycled wood waste.

Railway sleepers must be disposed of as hazardous waste due to the health risk of the treated wood. The chemical treatment agents used, as well as the residues from railway operations, make railway sleepers a danger to health and the environment. Due to the waste oil from wheel bearings, lubricated parts of rail vehicles and loose dust from brake linings partly containing asbestos, as well as soot from exhaust gases, railway sleepers are considered hazardous waste and have to be disposed of as special waste. Use of railway sleepers in landscaping, allotment gardens or as seating in the garden is prohibited! In case of frequent skin contact or contact with food, this could be dangerous. Dispose of your railway sleepers professionally, for the sake of your health and the environment.

In Europe, railway sleepers are usually made of hardwood. In order to make wooden sleepers resistant to fungal or insect attack, wooden sleepers are soaked in a type of treatment oil. This gives them their usual dark appearance. The oil and the railway sleepers coated with it have been subject to restrictions on use in Germany since 1991, which were laid down in the Tar Oil Ordinance until 2002 and in the Chemicals Prohibition Ordinance since 2002.

Railway sleepers must be disposed of as hazardous waste. As with all hazardous wastes, the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz) requires so-called disposal certificates and waste consignment notes for disposal and transport. This records who disposed of what, when and how much. In the case of a railway sleeper disposal operation involving small quantities, you will receive a transfer note from us as your disposal partner as proof of the correct disposal of your waste. Fees may apply for consignment notes in addition to disposal, packaging and transport.

HRG HEISTERNER HOLZ RECYCLING GMBH professionally disposes of your railway sleepers. If you have any further questions about professional railway sleeper disposal, or if you do not know how to dispose of railway sleepers, please give us a call. We will be happy to advise you!