A reality of the construction business is the never-ending and non-revenue generating task of disposing of the trash. Construction debris disposal is a job that has to be done, it takes time to get it done, and it usually costs money without adding any profit.

Your Construction Waste Doesn't Have to Go to a Landfill

According the EPA, the U.S. produces over 200 million tons of construction waste annually. The good news, however, is that many types of waste materials generated from housing construction can be reused, refurbished, or recycled into usable products.

Conscientious builders and contractors can develop strategies to salvage useful materials that can be re-used:

• Instead of creating a pile of mixed materials when renovating or building your home, consider separating and salvaging useful materials, including lumber, fixtures, hardware, and appliances.
• One way to do this for an existing home is through deconstruction, the systematic and careful removal of materials from structures for reuse or recycling.
• Outlets are available in many areas to collect or purchase used and salvaged building materials, and some nonprofit organizations also accept used building materials.

And recycled. Many construction waste materials can be recycled where the facilities are available to do so:

• Wood can be recycled into reclaimed or composite wood products such as furniture and plastic/wood-composite decks, as well as mulch and other products.
• Asphalt, masonry, concrete, and rubble can be recycled into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products.
• Metals, including steel, copper, and brass, are valuable commodities to recycle, especially in light of the current market for certain metals.

Recycling and re-purposing of construction waste makes a real difference. It is estimated that the area of landfill that is not needed because of recycling just construction waste is equivalent to over 4, 300 acres at a depth of 50 feet. That's over 3 billion square yards of landfill each year!

And how much of this debris and waste comes from construction sites anyway?

Materials derived from residential projects, full building demolition, road and bridge work and commercial interior projects. (Courtesy www.c-d-r-inc.com)

Nearly 75% of all construction waste is made up of wood, inert materials such as concrete and asphalt, and metals. These materials can all be sold to end users and generate profit. Gypsum Drywall is the single heaviest material to come out of commercial interior projects, representing over 25% of the overall weight. Traditional recycling facilities do not recycle this material, but send it instead to landfills to generate the hydrogen sulfide gas that eats away at methane collections systems.

According to CDR Inc., they ship more than 700 tons of drywall every month to farmers in Northern California to be used as a soil amendment. This breaks up the clay in the soil and allows the soil to better absorb water and nutrients. This stops the production of more than 125 tons of hydrogen sulfide gas every month.

Manufactured lumber is one of the most toxic materials in commercial interior projects. When it ends up in a landfill the chemicals that are in the wood are slowly released into the groundwater. Much of this material, however, can go to special energy plants instead, where it is used to power generators.

With few exceptions, commercial carpet is known as an "end of life" product. It is not typically recycled nor is often re-used. Unfortunately, carpet can last for thousands of years in landfills and when it does break down it pollutes the environment and makes its way into the food chain. When possible, this material is sent to the same special energy facilities rather than leave it in a landfill.

Your Partners for Construction Waste Disposal and Recycling

Junk King provides an efficient, safe and eco-friendly construction waste disposal service so you don’t need to worry about the pick up or disposal of the debris after your project is complete. Whether you need our services several times during a construction project or just once after it is complete, our hauling professionals will ensure that the construction waste is out of your way so that you can get on with the job.

You can get us on site for construction debris disposal with an appointment made simply by booking online above or by calling us at (707) 744-4254. Our professional and insured hauling team will call 15 minutes before we arrive on your site and we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your debris takes up in our truck. We haul the construction waste into our junk removal trucks and with no hidden fees.

Our team specializes in construction waste removal, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your debris in a professional manner.

We recycle a much of the material we pick-up, even construction and demolition debris. Our efforts to recycle and re-use is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service. If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, give us a call at (707) 744-4254.