If you are remodeling your house or managing a construction project, the debris can feel overwhelming. There is a lot of debris, including cut-off pieces of scrap lumber and mountains of drywall. It can be hard to know what is recyclable. Knowing how to sort these materials is not only good for the environment, but it can also save you money on disposal fees. Recycling construction debris is usually easier than most people think it is, once they know the materials that can be recycled.
Follow this link https://www.epa.gov/smm/best-practices-reducing-reusing-and-recycling-construction-and-demolition-materials for more info.
Common recyclable materials on job sites
When you are deep into a renovation, it’s easy to assume that most of the waste will end up in the landfill because the debris can be overwhelmingly excessive. The fact is, lots of construction materials can be reused or recycled. If you consider what you are doing during cleanup, you will realize that most of your debris can be recycled or will have a second life as something else.
Below are some of the most common recyclable materials:
- Cardboard materials (packaging and shipping cardboard)
- Scrap wood (from framing or flooring)
- Metals (like aluminum, copper, and steel)
- Asphalt shingles and roofing products
- Concrete (chunks from sidewalks or footings)
By recycling these materials, you can keep them out of landfills and give them back to the public to be reused for new projects. Most hauling services that dispose of construction waste will even sort recyclables for you, so this makes it easy. It doesn’t take a lot of scrap materials to add up and make it worth your while to recycle even small DIY projects.
Can wood and metal be recycled?
Wood and metal are two materials that are typically disposed of on job sites. The good news is that they are both easily recyclable. As an example, scrap wood typically becomes mulch or, in some cases, repurposed as particleboard. Untreated wood may have potential for landscaping elements.
As for metals, usually, there is enough worth recycling at a recycling facility. Steel and aluminum can be melted and reused repeatedly without any loss of integrity or quality. Copper (usually found in scrap items like electrical wires and plumbing) is typically the most valuable scrap and worth consideration – but make sure to separate. You could sell scrap metal for cash instead of throwing it away in a dumpster.
When using debris removal services Philadelphia, you might not think too much about it since most debris removal companies have recycling at the disposal part of their hauling methods.
If you can collect scrap metals and untreated wood, well in advance of your cleanup, as confidently as possible, you will be that much more successful when it comes time to recycle your items. A little bit of planning in this scenario can save you site space or reduce disposal fees as well!
What About Drywall and Concrete?
When doing demolitions, drywall and concrete can seem overwhelming because they can take so much space, especially when being demolished. While both drywall and concrete can often seem like things to be thrown away, they can oftentimes be recycled at minimum.
Drywall can be ground to new gypsum products or in some cases can be reclaimed in soil to amend or enhance dirt quality. Just make sure to double check for contaminates like asbestos on the drywall.
Concrete recycling is even more likely. Rather than transporting large sections to a landfill, it is still feasible to crush concrete into gravel or aggregate and use it in road construction or even as a base for newly poured concrete. This reduces waste and raw material needs. Many municipalities encourage the recycling of concrete as part of an overall sustainable construction practice.
Recycling drywall and concrete may sound complex, but local recycling centers usually provide straightforward instructions or drop-off points.
Local Recycling Rules Explained
Recycling rules differ by location. Some municipalities have rigid construction debris guidelines, while others may allow a broader approach. Prior to loading up a dumpster, it is worth taking the time to check the local guidelines.
Many regions report that drywall and treated wood are to be disposed of separately. Other areas may have a limit to how much you may recycle at one time. If you are working with a hauling company, be sure to ask their recycling guidelines. Typically, they are familiar with the entanglements of local disposal laws and it would be one less thing for you to decipher.
For DIY renovators, local recycling centers usually have accepted material lists. Phone calls are a great way to avoid useless trips when taking recyclables in, and to ensure that what you are hauling is actually accepted. Ultimately, the less confusion or communication error with recycling facilities, the easier it will be to keep your renovation project compliant.
Benefits of Recycling Debris
While recycling debris is most obviously an effort to keep things out of landfills, the reality is that recycling debris can provide other benefits that can further improve your project and community. Read more on this page.
Recycling your construction debris means that:
- You reduce disposal fees, as a lot of recyclable materials cost less to process than dumping at a landfill.
- You help conserve natural materials because you are reusing materials such as wood, metal and concrete.
- You support regional recycling businesses that usually create more jobs than a landfill.
In addition, recycling can help keep our neighborhoods cleaner, reducing the environmental impact of construction and demolition projects. Whether you are completing yard clean up, emergency storm debris removal or all-out renovations, choosing recycling whenever possible will benefit you.
Recycling helps create sustainable behavior that you will carry through to all future projects, ultimately making every renovation a little greener than the previous. In the future, these small decisions can have a maximum impact on both your bottom line and the environment.
Sorting through debris takes a little more work, but it is absolutely worth it. As you identify recyclable material, you could streamline your clean up by consolidating responsible disposal efforts, and you can also contribute to a healthier planet. The next time you find yourself looking at a heap of construction debris, remember that much of it could be recyclable, reused or repurposed instead of being thrown away.
