The short answer is yes, drywall is recyclable. Gypsum, the mineral that makes up roughly 90% of every drywall sheet, can be processed and reused indefinitely without degrading. In Ontario, licensed recycling facilities accept clean drywall waste and return it to manufacturers as raw material for new wallboard. The longer answer involves a few conditions, some important exceptions, and one significant safety consideration if your home was built before 1990.
This guide covers how drywall recycling works in Ontario, what makes a load recyclable versus not, and how to handle drywall disposal correctly on your next project.
What Is Drywall Made Of, and Why Does It Matter for Recycling?
Drywall, also called gypsum board, Sheetrock, or wallboard, is built around a core of calcium sulfate, a naturally occurring mineral known as gypsum. The gypsum core is pressed between two sheets of paper facing and dried into rigid panels. That is essentially the whole product.
What makes this relevant to recycling is the nature of gypsum itself. Unlike many construction materials that degrade or become contaminated during use, gypsum does not chemically change while installed in a wall. When the wall comes down and the drywall is broken up, the mineral is still there, essentially intact. It can be separated from the paper backing, ground back down, and used again in the manufacture of new drywall or other gypsum products. Gypsum recyclers refer to this as a closed-loop system, and under the right conditions it can continue indefinitely.
The catch is cleanliness. Recycling facilities accept gypsum, not a mixed bag of renovation debris. Once drywall is contaminated with wood, insulation, flooring, paint cans, or general construction garbage, it cannot go to a gypsum recycler and must be treated as general construction waste instead.
What Happens to Recycled Drywall in Ontario?
When clean drywall waste arrives at a licensed gypsum recycling facility in Ontario, it goes through a straightforward process. The boards are crushed or shredded and the paper backing is separated from the gypsum core. The resulting gypsum powder is screened to remove any remaining contaminants, then sold back to drywall manufacturers as a direct substitute for mined gypsum.
New West Gypsum Recycling operates a facility in Oakville, Ontario, and accepts both new construction off-cuts and post-renovation drywall waste. The recycled gypsum feeds back into new wallboard production through manufacturers like CertainTeed, meaning the material you remove from a renovation in Kitchener or Guelph can end up back on a job site as a new sheet of drywall.
Beyond new wallboard, recycled gypsum has applications in agriculture as a soil amendment, in cement production, and in other industrial processes.
When Is Drywall Not Recyclable?
Not every piece of drywall qualifies for recycling. There are three situations where a load will be rejected at a gypsum recycling facility or requires a different disposal pathway entirely.
1. Mixed Loads
This is the most common reason drywall gets rejected. When drywall is loaded into a general construction bin alongside wood, flooring, metal, insulation, or household garbage, the mixed load cannot be processed at a gypsum recycling facility. The material is redirected to a general construction and demolition waste stream, typically at a higher cost. Keeping drywall in a dedicated bin, separate from other renovation debris, is the single most effective way to make sure it gets recycled.
2. Water Damage and Mold
Wet drywall is a recycling problem. When gypsum board absorbs significant moisture, it can begin to break down and develop mold. Moldy or heavily water-damaged drywall is generally not accepted by recycling facilities and must be handled as contaminated waste. This is also why tarping your bin during rain is important. For practical guidance on keeping your bin dry, see our full guide on how to keep water out of your rental bin.
3. Pre-1990 Drywall and the Asbestos Conerns
If your home or building was constructed before 1990, this is the most important thing to read before you start a single demolition task.
SAFETY WARNING: Drywall joint compound (mud) applied in homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos. Asbestos-containing drywall cannot be recycled, cannot go in a standard bin, and must be handled by a licensed abatement contractor. Disturbing asbestos-containing materials without proper precautions creates a serious health hazard. If you are unsure, have the material tested before any removal work begins. Hersey Bins cannot accept asbestos-laden drywall in any bin.
New drywall boards produced after 1990 do not contain asbestos. The risk in pre-1990 buildings is primarily in the joint compound used to tape and finish the seams, not in the gypsum board itself, but testing the material before demolition is the only way to confirm.
Does Recycling Drywall Cost More Than Throwing It Away?
In most cases in Ontario, properly recycled clean drywall waste costs the same or less than mixed construction waste disposal. Here is why.
When drywall is kept clean and separate, it qualifies for flat-rate disposal at licensed gypsum processing facilities. When it is mixed with general construction debris, it gets priced as mixed waste, which is typically charged by weight at a higher per-tonne rate. A bin full of clean drywall is priced predictably. A bin of mixed debris that includes wet, heavy drywall can generate significant weight overage charges.
The Region of Waterloo has operated drywall diversion programs at the Cambridge and Waterloo transfer stations since 2018, accepting source-separated drywall for recycling.
How to Dispose of Drywall the Right Way in Ontario
Whether you are a homeowner doing a single room renovation or a contractor managing a full demolition, the process for proper drywall disposal in Ontario comes down to three things:
1. Keep It Separate
Do not mix drywall with general construction waste. From the moment you start pulling sheets off the wall, plan for drywall to have its own bin or its own designated area on site. This is the single decision that determines whether your drywall gets recycled or ends up in a landfill.
2. Keep It Dry
Cover your bin or your drywall stockpile if rain is forecast. Wet gypsum is heavier, more difficult to process, and in some cases no longer acceptable at recycling facilities. A basic tarp costs very little relative to the tonnage fees it can save you.
3. Know What You Have
If the building pre-dates 1990, test before you demolish. A licensed inspector can confirm whether joint compound contains asbestos. If it does, the project requires a different approach entirely, one that involves a licensed abatement contractor, not a standard disposal bin.
For most renovation and construction projects in Ontario generating clean, post-1990 drywall waste, a dedicated drywall disposal bin from Hersey Bins is the most practical solution. We deliver to your site, ensure the material goes to a licensed facility for processing, and keep your project compliant with Ontario waste regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Drywall Recycling
Is drywall recyclable in Ontario?
Yes. Clean gypsum drywall is accepted at licensed recycling facilities in Ontario, including New West Gypsum Recycling in Oakville. The gypsum core is separated from the paper backing and reprocessed into new drywall and other gypsum products. To be accepted for recycling, drywall must be free of wood, insulation, garbage, and other construction debris.
What happens to recycled drywall?
Recycled drywall is processed at gypsum recycling facilities where the paper facing is removed and the gypsum core is ground down. The resulting gypsum powder is sold back to wallboard manufacturers as a direct substitute for mined gypsum. It can also be used as a soil amendment in agriculture and in cement production. Gypsum can be recycled this way indefinitely without degrading.
Can old drywall be recycled?
It depends on when it was installed. Post-1990 drywall can generally be recycled if it is clean and dry. Drywall from buildings constructed before 1990 may contain asbestos in the joint compound and must be tested before any removal or disposal. If asbestos is present, the material must be handled by a licensed abatement contractor and cannot go into a standard disposal bin or a recycling stream.
Do I need to remove screws before recycling drywall?
You do not need to remove every fastener. Gypsum recycling facilities use magnetic separation equipment to pull metal from the material during processing. Drywall screws and small metal corner bead are generally manageable. What matters more is keeping large non-gypsum materials such as wood, insulation, plastic, and mixed construction debris out of the bin. A load contaminated with mixed debris will be rejected, while one with a few screws left in the boards generally will not.
Does recycling drywall cost more than throwing it away?
Not typically. Clean, separated drywall waste usually costs the same or less to dispose of properly compared to mixed construction waste. Mixed loads are typically charged by weight at a higher per-tonne rate, and wet or contaminated drywall generates weight overage charges. Keeping drywall separate and dry is the most cost-effective approach.
What makes drywall not recyclable?
Drywall becomes non-recyclable when it is mixed with other materials, when it contains asbestos (pre-1990 joint compound), when it has significant water damage or mold, or when it is combined with ceiling tiles (which are not gypsum board). Any of these conditions will result in rejection at a gypsum recycling facility and redirect the load to a general construction waste stream.
