I am in the process of renovating my garage. I am almost done and the work will be over by the end of this week. I have a lot of construction waste in my yard right now and it looks really messy. I was thinking of either having them recycled or disposed of. I have already checked out but I am leaning on more towards having them recycled. Can you recycle construction waste? I never really thought about before until now and this seems less messy than getting them disposed.What are your thoughts on this?
Recycling from remodels is much more productive if that is the plan from the start and the recyclers are involved with removal of what they are saving/or reselling. Stuff piled out exposed to the elements is not likely to be of much use to anyone. beware of burning pressure treated lumber as it puts off toxic fumes. I think you are going to have to bite the bullet and pay for a dumpster to pile the stuff into. jus saying.
Construction recycling has to be a planned process. You need to separate products by type and have the recyclers handle it as such... they will not take bulk waste usually and sort it for you. Many commercial projects now days are LEAD certified, which enforces recycling down to the last bit of cardboard box.....
List the materials under FREE on Craigslist, someone will show up to haul everything away, and they will put it to good use in their own projects. Be sure and state "Must take all."
Pretty much off topic, But as a man of limited funds and all kinds of Gyro Gearloose projects in line for construction, with a pickup truck and 3 different sized utility trailers, I have never seen a construction dumpster that did not draw my attention. Never ever take anything from them without asking first. It ain't the same as trashcans on the street. You can get arrested for dumpster diving on a construction site. Fine Homebuilding Magazine claims 3400 LB of misc lumber is hauled away from every new house built (not stolen, but thrown in the dumpster). I will often peek in said some dumpster to see what is in them I could use. If it looks like a mother lode, I will return the next day and speak to the owner or site supervisor about recovering some scrap out of the dumpster. Not more than 1 in 8 has ever turned me down. For those of you who have wood burning stoves or fireplaces, non-pressure treated 2x wood is almost always kiln dried pine or fir of some sort. These are resinous woods that you do not want to burn in quanity as they will creosote up your chimney, but they are excellent fire starter wood. Get 3 or 4 pieces out of a 2x4 length suitable for use in your fireplace or stove. Lay the base with newspaper and some of these pieces topped with a couple regular split firewood pieces and you have a roaring fire only a match away. I have built bird houses, bat houses, mason bee homes, all kinds of wood arts and crafts projects from free wood salvaged from construction dumpsters. Point out to the owner or site supervisor the statistic from Fine Homebuilding about the 3400 LB of wood going to waste and remind them they are going to have to pay to dispose of it at the local dump. That is often the turning point on getting permission. One last note, learn to identify pressure treated lumber, and unless it is of sizes you specifically can put to use, avoid it for the reason previously noted, and if you do take some store it until used separate from non-pressure treated lumber.
For building materials about all you can do is recycle the metal, burn the wood that isn't treated for heat, salvage whole fixtures like sinks, toilets, cabinets, doors for reuse or resale. Building materials are semi salvageable if they are demo or new scraps. Kind of depends on what they are. Whole pieces of masonry could be reused, if you can get them apart. Masonry rubble could be crushed up and used as gravel. Anything fluffy and non combustible, any scraps of building foam sheathing or old pipe insulation could be shoved in the walls and used as insulation.
A lot depends upon the materials that have been deconstructed from the structure that you have demolished. Beware that an old structure may include toxic materials...lead painted woodwork and sheathing, asbestos insulation and so forth. If your backyard looks like a lunar landscape of randomly distributed debris....consolidate it into discrete lots to make it easier for the pickers and purchasers to inspect and remove. It will then occupy a smaller footprint and allow you more space to devote to your new project whatever it is. Ethically, recycle what can be reasonably recycled without costing you too much, and without occupying more of your time and yard space than is necessary. It actually may reduce your overall costs. Dispose of stuff that doesn't fit your recycling plan (yes, you should have a plan), or that consists of hazardous materials that must be removed from your site. Disposal may cost you for some things...(such as hazardous materials), may be cost neutral (by pickers taking away freebie materials), or be revenue positive, in selling stuff to those who are prepared to pay for it. The decisions of course are all yours to make!
Depends on how you take things apart. Dad taught me to take stuff apart because we recycled everything . But if your taking stuff apart like a demolition team , don't expect to reap much good out of it.
