Most old railroad ties are burned for energy. About 66% of removed ties go to industrial combustion facilities, where they’re used as fuel to generate electricity or heat. Another 18% get a second life in landscaping, agriculture, or other outdoor uses. Only about 6% end up in landfills, though that number is climbing. The remaining ties are managed through a mix of smaller channels including stockpiling and alternative recycling.
Burning for Energy Is the Primary Destination
Railroads replace millions of ties each year, and the sheer volume makes disposal a serious logistical challenge. The dominant solution is sending used ties to industrial biomass plants that burn them for energy. These facilities operate under strict air quality permits because the wood is saturated with creosote, a preservative that contains toxic compounds including phenanthrene, anthracene, and pyrene. When burned at high industrial temperatures with proper emission controls, most of those chemicals break down. Pyrolysis, a process that heats ties in the absence of oxygen, is also gaining traction. It converts the wood into a solid fuel with better combustion properties than raw wood and captures the creosote in a liquid byproduct that can be managed separately.
The energy-recovery share has actually dropped in recent years, falling from 81% in 2013 to 66% by 2018. That decline reflects tightening air quality regulations at some facilities and a growing interest in other disposal routes.
Reuse in Landscaping and Agriculture
Roughly 18% of old ties are sold or given away for reuse. You’ve probably seen them lining garden beds, retaining hillside soil, fencing livestock areas, or edging driveways. They’re sturdy, weather-resistant, and often cheap or free, which makes them appealing for outdoor projects.
But that durability comes from creosote, and creosote is not benign. The EPA classifies it as a restricted-use pesticide, meaning only certified applicators can treat new wood with it. Creosote-treated products are not available to homeowners as pesticides. However, reusing old creosote-treated wood is not regulated under federal pesticide laws, so anyone can buy and repurpose a used railroad tie. The responsibility falls on you to handle it safely.
Why Creosote Makes Old Ties Hazardous
Creosote is a thick, oily mixture pressed deep into the wood grain to prevent rot and insect damage. Its key toxic ingredients are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. These compounds don’t break down quickly. A tie that’s been in service for 30 years still contains meaningful levels of them.
Direct skin contact with creosote can cause rashes, chemical burns, and increased sensitivity to sunlight. Eye exposure can damage the cornea. Breathing creosote vapors irritates the respiratory tract. The long-term picture is more concerning: workers with prolonged creosote exposure show elevated cancer rates across multiple organs, including the lungs, skin, bladder, kidney, and pancreas. Animal studies confirm liver damage from ingesting creosote compounds and fetal harm during pregnancy.
This is why the EPA explicitly warns against burning creosote-treated wood at home in a fireplace, fire pit, or wood stove. The smoke and ash release those same toxic compounds directly into the air you breathe.
Using Old Ties in Gardens
If you’re considering old railroad ties for a raised bed or garden border, the soil contamination question matters. Research on community gardens built with creosote timbers found that PAH concentrations in the soil were highest right next to the wood and dropped off with distance. Within 18 inches of the timber, PAH levels were about four times higher than in the center of garden plots and five times higher than normal background levels. Beyond 18 inches, concentrations approached background.
The good news is that most vegetables don’t readily absorb PAHs through their roots. The compounds are hydrophobic, meaning they repel water, which prevents them from traveling into the inner root system. That said, carrots are a notable exception. Their higher fat content allows them to accumulate PAHs from contaminated soil, so peeling them before eating is recommended if they’re grown near treated wood. Leafy vegetables can also pick up PAHs from airborne particles settling on their surfaces, though that’s a general concern in any urban or semi-industrial setting.
If you already have creosote timbers in a garden, mixing the soil within 18 inches of the wood to a depth of 8 inches with clean compost at a 1:1 ratio significantly reduces PAH levels. For a more aggressive fix in a smaller zone, mixing the soil within 9 inches at a 1:3 soil-to-compost ratio works as well.
Landfill Disposal and What Homeowners Can Do
Only about 6% of railroad ties from major railroads go to landfills, but that figure jumps to 76% for smaller short-line railroads that lack contracts with energy recovery facilities. For homeowners with a few old ties to get rid of, the EPA says creosote-treated wood can typically go out with ordinary trash collection as municipal solid waste. In practice, your local waste hauler may refuse them because of their size or weight, and some states have stricter rules.
Businesses and commercial operations face a different standard. Non-household generators of creosote-treated wood waste are legally required to determine whether it qualifies as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. State and local regulations vary widely, so checking with your local waste management program before hauling a stack of ties to the curb is worth the phone call.
The Scale of the Problem
The U.S. railroad network sits on hundreds of millions of wooden ties, and they don’t last forever. Typical service life ranges from 20 to 30 years depending on climate, traffic, and wood species. That means tens of millions of ties cycle out of service over any given decade, creating a massive and ongoing waste stream. The industry’s heavy reliance on burning for energy reflects the reality that no single alternative can absorb that volume. Some railroads are investing in concrete, composite, or steel ties to reduce future wood waste, but wooden ties still dominate new installations because of their lower upfront cost and proven performance on the track.
For the foreseeable future, the fate of most old railroad ties will be the same: a controlled burn in an industrial facility, conversion to electricity, and a plume of carefully scrubbed exhaust rising from a smokestack.