If you’re in the construction or demolition industry, or even if you’re just a homeowner who’s gone through a major renovation, you’re probably familiar with commercial roll-off dumpsters. These versatile containers are great for disposing of construction and demolition waste of all kinds.
You might not be as familiar with how much of this construction waste is recycled instead of being sent to landfills. By taking a more sustainable approach to construction waste disposal, roll-off dumpster companies are part of the solution to impending environmental catastrophe.
Construction and Demolition Materials
Most roll-off dumpsters carry construction and demolition materials. This category of waste includes essentially everything that goes into building structures and what you get out of them during demolition.
Among these materials, the most common you’re going to come across are:
● Wood
● Concrete
● Asphalt
● Gypsum
● Bricks
● Metals
Of course, there’s going to be a fair number of other components mixed in, including glass and plastics. Many demolition methods result in heavily mixed materials, making it difficult to implement effective recycling.
Construction and demolition debris are one area where society simply can’t afford to ignore the importance of recycling. The United States puts out over 600 million tons of construction and demolition waste every year, more than double the amount of household garbage generated in the same period.
That number sounds bad, but there’s a big upside to this story. Over 75% of these materials are recycled, with less than a quarter of the total weight ending in a landfill. Modern demolition methods and the use of recycling dumpsters play a big part in making this happen.
Through careful demolition and some simple sorting, contractors can recycle materials sent away in roll-off dumpsters instead of sending them to a landfill. Concrete and asphalt are among the most common materials salvaged in this manner because they’re generally easy to separate from other materials during demolition.
Metals are also often recycled during demolition. A roll-off dumpster can be a great way to quickly and conveniently handle significant quantities of scrap metal on demolition sites.
Why Recycle?
This recycling is a win-win for people at every level of the construction and demolition industry. Recycling efforts help create jobs within the industry, both in applying recycled materials and in the specialized demolition methods used to maximize the value of materials obtained during demolition.
This kind of recycling can also greatly reduce overall building costs. Not only do organizations avoid the disposal cost of sending this waste to the landfill, but it also provides reduced expenses for new construction.
These benefits are further improved by a variety of government programs and tax credits meant to incentivize recycling. There is also the potential to reduce the transportation costs involved with disposal in certain situations.
Of course, the environmental benefits of construction and demolition waste recycling are important as well. Recycling reduces the use of landfill space and reduces the need to extract new resources for construction.
Overall, construction and demolition waste recycling has numerous economic, environmental, and social benefits.
How These Materials are Recycled and Reused
The construction and demolition waste that goes into your Maryland dumpsters can end up in a variety of different end uses. This flexibility is particularly true for concrete dumpsters. Concrete is one of the most readily recyclable construction materials with the highest economic benefit for recycling.
The concrete, asphalt, and general rubble retrieved during demolition are used as the aggregate needed in new concrete and asphalt products. This reuse greatly reduces the demand for new aggregate, providing a reduction in costs and allowing natural resources to be conserved.
Metals from demolitions sites can also be recycled. While these make up a smaller portion of construction and demolition waste, their increased value justifies the specialized demolition methods necessary to their recovery.
The key to making the fullest use of these materials is gearing the demolition towards recycling. This process is often called deconstruction and entails a more careful takedown of the building to preserve individual materials for reuse and recycling.
This kind of demolition can be applied at many different levels, providing the highest possible recovery of materials. Careful demolition practices have provided a significant source of value where companies once had to deal with the cost of sending materials to the landfill.
Denver Mid-Atlantic Roll-Off Dumpster Rentals
Denver Mid-Atlantic provides commercial dumpster rentals for demolition and construction contractors, property managers, and homeowners. We have multiple sizes available to fit any job site’s needs and make the process as straightforward and convenient as possible.
You can reach out to Denver-Mid Atlantic today to find out how easy our roll-off dumpsters can make your demolition or construction project and get a quote on your rental. Our Jobsite-Success team is ready to help you today.