WASTEEXPO 2006: Eyes on End Markets

Determining the end product should be the first step in setting up a construction and demolition recycling operation, according to a presentation given at WasteExpo 2006.

Ken Binnix, executive vice president of Days Cove Reclamation Co., Annapolis, Md., advised attendees at a session on C&D recycling that end markets should be a recycler’s priority and that markets varied greatly by region.

Binnix said a current trend he sees in the industry is utilizing markets on individual job sites, such as grinding concrete for parking lots or temporary roads at construction or demolition sites. “The benefit is they have a use for [the material] right there,” Bennix said.

William Turley, executive director of the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) addressed attendees, saying that the kind of end products a C&D recycler is after dictates what kind of equipment he should consider for his operation.

Turley said there are different approaches to C&D recycling when it comes to end markets—recyclers can choose to make lower value products, like alternative daily cover (ADC) for landfills, which require less equipment and cost, or higher value end products, like wood for mulch, which require more of a commitment to spending capital.

Turley said the gambit of C&D recycling goes from the very low-tech (the “dump and pick”) to the very high-tech, which can require a number of more sophisticated sorting and processing techniques.

Turley also discussed some of the pros and cons to various screening equipment, from slotted and finger screens to star screens to air or water separators. Turley said each method of sorting can be beneficial depending on what end market a recycler is looking for.

Turley identified pre-grinding as a growing trend in the industry, which can reduce the need for manual sorting and make the screens do more of the work.