Indiana Project Tackles Recycling at Construction Sites

The Allen County (Indiana) Solid Waste Management District has introduced a new program aimed to encourage home construction site recycling, according to a report in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

The project is a joint effort by the district, Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity and local company Construction Recycling Solutions.

Jeff Zolnik, one of the co-owners of the newly formed company, says that the collection and recycling process will be done in three phases. The first phase of the proejct will cover the collection and recycling of the framing package, which consists mostly of wood.

The second phase will be the collection and recycling of drywall. 

The third stage will cover most everything else left over after the construction project is completed. This would include such diverse materials such as plastics, cardboard, steel, and shingles.

Zolnik estimates that the largest component of the C&D on the residential side would be wood, approximitely 40 percent; with drywall, at 25 percent, the second largest component of the stream.

To encourage interest in recycling, local contractors were invited to a demonstration of grinding equipment that recycled leftover lumber into mulch and drywall into soil additive, according to the report. 

According to the report, Construction Recycling Solutions has agreed to do the recycling for 13 homes the Fort Wayne chapter of Habitat for Humanity plans to build next year.

The company estimates that in the one month since the company has performed the service they have diverted between 40 and 60 tons of material from local landfills.

End markets for much of the material already has been established. The company is presently using a Packer 750 to grind up the wood and drywall. The wood chips are being marketed to farmers for animal bedding, among other applications. The drywall is being used as ground cover by other sources.

Zolnik adds that due to the interest by home builders the company is going to be purchasing a larger shredder, which should be delivered by early next year.

While the company does have some end markets for new shingles, one of the more challenging materials the company presently is dealing with is tear-off shingles.