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Recycling Construction Waste

Posted by: Nate Berg

6 February 2007 - 12:00pm

With debris from construction and demolition of buildings accounting for nearly one-half of all solid waste in the U.S., some entrepreneurs are looking at this landfill fodder as a viable source of reconstruction materials -- and a source of revenue.

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that up to 40 percent of U.S. solid waste is construction and demolition (C&D) debris. Even worse, only 35 to 45 percent of this debris actually makes it into properly designated landfills. Some waste is recycled or managed on-site, but at least a third is illegally dumped in non-permitted landfills."

"A number of green groups are working to reduce construction waste, but the EPA estimates that only eight percent of C&D debris is actually from building sites—the rest is from renovations and demolition. Buildings are usually bulldozed under the assumption that it is cheaper to demolish a home than to disassemble it and sell the used materials."

"What had been a total loss—demolition and landfilling—turns into a revenue-generating opportunity to resell what was previously waste. Joe DeRisi of Urban Miners in Hamden, Connecticut says the average full deconstruction can salvage as much as 80 percent of a building. Deconstruction also decreases demand for new construction products, he says, reducing the waste and pollution associated with production from virgin materials."

Full Story: Daring to Deconstruct
Source: E, The Environmental Magazine, February 1, 2007
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The decision to abandon a property is a symptom of the loss of confidence. And while abandonment certainly affects confidence among surrounding homeowners, the most important question to answer is not "how do we deal with abandoned properties?" but "what is the most cost-effective way to restore market confidence, and how do abandoned properties fit into that picture?"
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