how not to forget your trash pick up

Posted on: 26 January 2022

Construction recycling refers to recovering and repurposing recoverable waste materials resulting from a construction, remodeling, or deconstruction project. If you think about it, every time a building, road, or bridge gets constructed, remodeled, or deconstructed, various materials often get discarded, yet they can be recycled and repurposed.

For example:

• Metals can get melted down to form new materials such as pipes
• Discarded or left over wood can be recycled to create engineered wood products 
• Concrete and rumble can be recycled to produce aggregates

However, construction recycling also provides tremendous benefits for the environment and the economy. Thus, if you have yet to consider construction recycling, here are three undeniable benefits it offers.  

Conserving Landfills 

According to Transparency Market Research, construction and demolition waste generated annually will rise to 2.2 billion by 2025. With that in mind, it is essential to remember that a significant percentage of that waste will end up in landfills that are already on the verge of filling up.  

Thus, there is a chance that the current landfills in use could get filled up prematurely due to the rising amounts of construction waste materials getting generated every year.

However, if more people and companies turn to construction recycling, it would be pretty easy to reduce the amount of construction waste ending up in landfills. Thus, you can actively contribute to conserving the already limited landfill spaces by adopting construction recycling.

Conservation of Natural Resources and the Environment

Many of the materials used in construction, e.g., metals, glass, and concrete, get derived from mines. Unfortunately, most of these natural resources are not renewable. Therefore, there is a chance that future generations will have fewer resources to use. Additionally, mining for construction materials leads to the destruction of large tracts of land.  

However, if more people recycled their construction and demolition waste, the need to mine for more natural resources would reduce, thus enabling the current generation to scale down on the need for fresh raw materials. In turn, this would translate to the conservation of the limited natural resources for future generations.

Reducing Pollution

A significant amount of the construction waste discarded in landfills comprises gypsum. Unfortunately, when the discarded gypsum comes into contact with bacteria, a chemical reaction occurs, producing hydrogen sulfide gas as a byproduct. Hydrogen sulfide is a dangerous gas that can cause various health issues for persons who reside or work around the landfill.

Additionally, when hydrogen sulfide gas combines with moisture in the atmosphere or gets dissolved in rainwater, it forms sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid, which are highly harmful to the environment especially plant life.

Thus, by recycling gypsum leftovers after a construction or remodeling project with a place like Ware Disposal, you help reduce the amount of hydrogen sulfide emitted into the air. Therefore, you significantly contribute to the reduction of air and environmental pollution.