When getting rid of tons of concrete, shingles, wallboard and other construction waste, builders usually rely on a simple method: Dump it in a landfill.
Bay Disposal, a private garbage hauling company in Norfolk, wants to recycle it. Or, more precisely, grind it up.
The company plans to convert a vacant brick warehouse it owns on the south side of Norfolk into a construction debris recycling plant, using a giant machine that can chew up almost all construction materials.
The property is now being used to store trucks and trash bins.
"In this day and age, everybody's looking to do things in a more environmentally safe manner, especially if it makes sense business wise," said Bay Disposal general manager Emmett Moore.
The company, which keeps a fleet of trash-hauling trucks at its headquarters on Princess Anne Road, has applied for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Quality.
If approved, Bay Disposal will have the only construction debris recycling plant in the region, said Sean Priest, an enforcement compliance specialist for the agency.
A Virginia Beach-based company, Waterfront Marine Construction Inc., recently expressed interest in opening a similar, larger facility in Chesapeake.
"These companies are actually moving in the right direction because it reduces landfill space and shows some environmental sensitivity," Priest said.
Priest said that if run properly, there would be no hazards to nearby residents. The plant could generate dust, but everything would be enclosed, and Bay Disposal is proposing a mist-spray system to control dust.
Bay Disposal's plans call for a complete renovation of the 9,000- square-foot building, replacing the roof, doors and windows.
The plant is being designed to handle 1,500 tons of material a day, with the expectation that more than 80 percent of the material would be recycled. About 30 trucks would take construction and demolition materials to the building daily. Virginia Pilot