C&D Helps Boost Pa. County’s Recycling Rate

Recycling of construction and demolition debris in Lancaster County, Pa., increased dramatically from 4,600 tons in 2003 to 14,900 tons in 2004, helping to boost the county’s overall recycling rates to record highs, according to a report in the Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pa.).

Much of the material responsible for the increase was drywall, according to the report.

Tim Breneisen, the waste authority’s county recycling coordinator, tells the Lancaster New Era that two private companies in the county remove paper from gypsum. The paper is used for bedding for livestock, while the gypsum is ground and used as a soil amendment to improve alkalinity.

Overall, a record 37.5 percent of municipal solid waste generated in the county in 2004 was recycled, according to the report.