Construction & Demolition
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95 percent of C&D waste is recyclable. It is encouraging to see that the construction industry is seeking to reduce waste and that more than 70 percent of the construction and demolition (C&D) debris generated in the United States is recycled.
That said, according to the CDRA, more than 583 million tons of C&D debris were generated in 2015. Even with the Construction and Demolition Recycling Industry growing, there’s still a huge amount of construction material being turned into demolition waste each and every day.
To be noted, the benefits of recycling waste material in the construction industry are huge. It is estimated that recycling asphalt pavements saves the American taxpayer more than $2.5 billion per year. These recycled materials also save thousands of acre-feet of landfill space each year.
Now, concrete, wood, gypsum/drywall, asphalt, and shingles are often less expensive than disposal of industrial demolition. Recycling construction reduces pollution in both air and water. Altogether, concrete and reclaimed asphalt have established themselves as the most frequently recycled debris types, followed by certain types of scrap wood. These materials have served as some of the most important pieces in the reduce, reuse, recycle movement in the construction industry. Then programs to recover scrap shingles and gypsum. Other commodities that may be recovered through C&D programs include old corrugated cardboard (OCC) and plastics. (Recycling Today)
That said, markets for reclaimed asphalt in the western U.S. are healthy and likely to stay strong. On the East Coast, markets for crushed concrete are vibrant, supported by large amounts of road construction and quarries.
Significant amounts of C&D debris that are technically recyclable may be landfilled sometimes due to regional market conditions. “When disposal fees are high, processors can afford to have more manual sorters and more equipment, but when disposal fees are depressed, processors tend to go after the bigger, easier things that give the most bang for the buck,” says Bob Brickner, senior vice president of consulting firm Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc., Fairfax, Va. “At those times, smaller volume materials may not be economical to recycle.”
C&D recycling follows the construction market and waste generation trends. Construction is a volatile market and while strong today may come to slow in the future. While there has been significant process in industrial demolition environmental recycling, it is tough to produce clean materials from C&D (unpainted/treated wood, rebar with no concrete, etc.)
- OSHA
- ASTM
- AASHTO
- FHWA
- DOT’s
Fluent Conveyors offers a wide range of equipment/systems designed for the rigors of processing C&D material, helping you to ultimately reduce, reuse, and recycle. Fluent manufactures Trough Idler, Slider Bed, and Roller Chain baler infeed conveyors to compact your separated materials. Fluent Conveyors also has many options for cleaning and separating crusher/shredder lines and manual sort lines, all the way to semi-automated sorting systems to help separate and clean your C&D material.