The Essence of Recycling After Demolition: Why Demolition Companies Should Do This?

We all know that with the development of modern society, we tend to build more buildings and infrastructure. However, problems arise when we see more and more construction and demolition (C&D) materials left over at these constructions, renovation, or demolition sites. Most companies simply send the debris to the landfill and are done with the problem, but this debris causes a significant negative impact on the environment. This material is usually abandoned, but it can be valuable things that can be reused to make new products or applied in another field.

Why should construction materials be recycled?

Recycling construction waste is becoming more and more critical because of the limited spaces available to place it and because of new environmental protection demands. Current estimates show that if we can recycle all concrete and asphalts produced annually in America, we’ll save the energy equivalent of 1 billion gallons of gasoline or equal to removing more than 1 million cars from the road.

How can construction material recycling help the environment?

Apart from saving energy, construction waste recycling can reduce the amount of construction material in landfills. This material often takes years and sometimes never degrades. Companies that specialize in recycling can either recycle the material or crush it to make other materials. They also use recycling methods that extract raw materials from their content.

What’s more, inappropriate disposal of construction waste would no longer cause operational problems and groundwater contamination. So, we have to focus on construction and demolition waste recycling if we want to eliminate the problem and improve the environment.

How can we recycle construction materials?

Material recycling companies can recycle construction waste in many ways. The different methods used depend on the type of material and how easy and profitable it is to recycle and reuse it.

Here are three common types of construction waste that we can recycle.

Concrete Waste

There is a new recycling use for concrete and old asphalt. Building companies can use broken concrete for new foundations and road bases. Some companies even use crushed concrete waste to make concrete blocks, paving bricks, and other new construction materials. The process involves cleaning and filtering the concrete waste to use as an aggregate for new concrete.

Glass Waste

Companies make glass with silicon dioxide, sodium silicate, and calcium silicate. However, these components don’t decompose quickly, and when they go to landfills, they never degrade. The best way to get rid of unwanted glass is to recycle it into new glass products.

Bricks and Blocks

Many builders use bricks or blocks because they have an incredibly long lifespan of 200 years. This longevity means they never degrade, even if you place them in a landfill. So the best thing to do is recycle bricks and blocks and put them in other buildings. By recycling these items, you can save on costs and make recycled materials available to builders who have smaller budgets.

The Solution

Many countries are unsure of the solution for construction waste, while others believe the solution may be to charge high disposal rates for companies that don’t recycle. For example, one country that has taken construction waste seriously is Germany. According to their laws, each construction owner must be responsible for the construction waste generated and either pay high disposal costs or find ways to reduce this waste by recycling.

The price of recycled building materials is low, but the cost of treating the waste and disposing of it is very high. So more and more developers are using recycled building materials and avoid having to pay high waste disposal costs.

Reference:

https://www.greenify-me.com/2018/01/how-does-construction-affect-environment.html

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