FL Counties, R.W. Beck Working on Drywall Recycling Pilot Project

An ongoing pilot program in two counties in Florida -- Orange and Seminole -- and being overseen by R.W. Beck Inc. and SCS Engineers, explores the potential recycling of drywall.

During the program, which began this past summer, tons of wasted drywall will be separated into two separate products, paper and gypsum. Gypsum, commonly used to make cement and new drywall, also produces agricultural additives for crops such as citrus, tomatoes and peanuts.

"Central Florida has so much drywall, from housing construction as well as commercial expansion such as the Orange County Convention Center, that it is a good area to determine if drywall recycling can be sustained," says Steve Cottrell, environmental specialist with the Orange County Solid Waste Division and Utilities Department.

Kim Cochran, project manager for R. W. Beck, says, "One of the goals for the project is testing the drywall recycling technology in a series of on-site demonstrations. So far, all of these tests have proceeded well, and end markets are interested in putting recycled gypsum into their processes as a final test of the material."

Funding for the program is being provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through the Innovative Recycling Grants.

Demonstrations of the drywall recycling process have been conducted by AgriCycle of Ohio, a drywall recycling company, at the Orange County Landfill in eastern Orange County and the 545 Landfill in Winter Garden, Fla. The 545 Landfill is a partner in this project and, along with the Orange County Landfill and Seminole County Transfer Station, is currently accepting drywall for recycling. It is anticipated that drywall recycling will continue after the grant project's completion.

According to Cochran, the pilot project should run through the end of this May.