Recycling has become a widespread practice in many households, and it has contributed a lot to help sustain our planet. But what about the construction and demolition waste (C&D waste)?
Think about this: our old and outdated structures have generated a $4 billion demolition industry, which is a pretty significant number if you ask me. And, of course, it’ll only go up with time.
Now, you can only imagine how much waste is produced by construction and demolition projects every year. So what if we recycled all this waste and gave it a new life by using it for another construction project?
In this article, we’re going to discuss the importance of using demolition recycled materials to help our planet conserve its resources and potentially reduce the construction cost in the future. Read on if you’re curious how you can help minimize the number of obsolete materials in the landfills.
What Are Recycled Aggregates?
In short, recycled aggregates describe 100% crushed cement concrete or asphalt pavement from construction debris reused in other building projects.
C&D waste usually consists of wood, plastics, gypsum, and many other contaminating materials. If you want to use construction and demolition waste in concrete manufacture, these harmful materials must be removed.
“It is all about how to reduce/reuse/recycle building materials. Here is an example from our creative way to recycle Drywall (in NZ, we call it plasterboard.) Plasterboard amounts to 32% of construction waste when looking at total weight. But did you know there are a couple of really handy and eco-friendly ways to re-use it? The plasterboard is made of gypsum. Gypsum is Calcium Sulphate, which is great for breaking down compact soils, especially clay. It also helps to reduce the sodium in the soil and increases the calcium. In short, it can be great in the garden. If the project you are working on involves landscaping, this is an ideal way to re-use your crushed-up plasterboard. You can always keep a few bags for your vegetable garden that you have wanted to make for the last two years.”
Willy Morrison, Marketing Manager at RHM Construction
Using construction and demolition recycled building materials is a sustainable move towards decreasing the amount of generated C&D waste and improving the construction industry. If you decide to make our planet a better place to be, you need to be equipped with high-quality crushing & screening equipment. It should be powerful enough to help you screen anything from topsoil, gravel, and aggregate to wood chips and street sweepings.
“Most construction waste can be recycled. It’s estimated that almost 90% of it can be reused, and it absolutely should be. There’s no degradation in quality with current processing power, and it helps regulate the costs of materials for all contractors. This is because materials are often bought in bulk, and of course, brand new materials will cost more than recycled ones. Contractors buy what they need for a job, and if the majority of them are buying recycled goods, the cost stays low for everyone.”
Dan Bailey, President of WikiLawn
Top 4 Benefits of Recycling C&D Materials
Recycling construction and demolition waste has numerous advantages, and here are some of them:
1. Reduces Energy Consumption
Most recycling processes use much less energy than what it takes to create an entirely new material. If we keep on utilizing and optimizing the recycled aggregates, eventually, the cost of both recycling and construction will go down.
“To see the massive amounts of good bricks, boards, tiles, ornamental metal, fixtures, etc. being hauled off to landfills, buried and/or burned is heartbreaking and frankly immoral. With so many people needing affordable housing, as much of this material as possible should be salvaged and repurposed.
I grew up in a multicultural home in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Houston. I helped my father remodel homes. We spent many hours in the dumps salvaging materials to use. Even as a kid, I was astounded at the good stuff people would throw away. When my wife and I started our first design business furnishing cafes, we salvaged as much furniture, decor, and materials as possible–and still do.”
Pablo Solomon, Award-Winning Green Designer & Icon of the Environmental Movement
2. Consumes Less Resources
Using recycled building materials for new construction projects means using fewer metals, trees, and plastics. Most construction materials take a very long time to decompose, so it makes perfect sense why we need to recycle and repurpose them as much as we can.
“It’s important to use reclaimed materials from demolished buildings for two core reasons: Firstly, some demolition site materials can be antique in both nature and history. All sorts of structural and decorative surface materials were made using premium materials and custom craftsmanship from long ago and may have interior or exterior construction or design value today. Secondly, acquiring and utilizing these materials instead can be very profitable, pending the labor, time, and transport costs needed to physically extract such heavy materials. Rare brick, stone, wood, and period fixtures such as sinks, bathtubs, showerheads, doorknobs, water spigots, and other materials have universal upcycling value –– especially if discovered in large buildings with 200 or 300 or 500 uniformly designed and adorned units.”
Baron Christopher Hanson*, Lead Consultant & Owner of RedBaron Consulting
3. Decreases Emissions
The landfills produce a massive amount of methane gas, which is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas production. By sending less C&D waste to the landfills, we reduce the size of the landfills and thus decrease the amount of methane gas produced.
“The ‘go green’ initiative is meant for all industries, including construction. During demolition or even deconstruction, a lot of materials generally go to landfills or other waste disposal sites. The ability to reuse this material could save you money on materials, as well as on
disposal costs, while also helping the environment. This greatly reduces the amount of construction material taking up space in our landfills as it can be reused easily, while others can be sent to recycling firms who can repurpose the material for use later.”
Jesse Silkoff, Co-Founder and President at MyRoofingPal
4. Saves Money
Recycling building materials not only reduces the cost of construction but also creates more jobs and incentivizes people to make more sustainable decisions. As a result, it’s good for both our economy and the environment.
“When it comes to this topic, I always ask: How do you build a home without being buried in debt? The answer is by using recycled building materials. You can literally save thousands of dollars in roofing materials, lumber, and many quality structural kinds of wood that have been kept dry. Many people think demolition recycled building materials are old and won’t make their home look beautiful. That’s quite wrong because most of the materials you get will be structural, which means they’re going to be hidden on the inside, while everything on the outside can be repainted to look exactly like how a new building or home would look like.
It’s best to get as many demolition recycled building materials before you spend all your money on brand new materials. See what you can gather and spend on whatever else you still need. You’re going to save a lot of time and money in the long-run.”
James Brandon, Owner of Hometown Roofing ATX
The Bottom Line
In the era of extensive construction and demolition projects, it’s time to find more sustainable solutions to maintain a healthy and eco-friendly environment. The usage of C&D waste aggregates helps to preserve natural resources, solve problems connected to mining these virgin aggregates, and produce less pollution.
If you’re ready to start recycling construction and demolition waste and use it for your new projects, feel free to take a look at our powerful EZ-Screen 1000XL, a screener that will handle whatever kind of screening work you need to be done. And if you still have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
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