Perpetually upgrading to bigger, better, grander status is just as pervasive in the U.S. construction industry. There is no greater physical proof of this than in the 124,670,000 tons of building debris that is sent to countrywide landfills every year. Yes, you read that right.
Fortunately, the value of recycling and/or repurposing such materials, from an environmental and economical standpoint, continues catching on, with companies like Reno Contracting and the Building Materials Reuse Association leading the green battle cry.
As the most densely populated city in our country, New York City knows all too well what kind of havoc unnecessary construction rubble can wreak on an already strained waste disposal situation. Ever since Staten Island’s Fresh Kills landfill closed in 2001, the Big Apple has been exporting roughly 12,000 tons of daily waste to landfills located in Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania at a cost of $400 million annually.
Build It Green! NYC (otherwise known as BIGNYC) is trying to turn things around, however. Given the fact that an estimated 7 million tons of construction waste is produced every year in the city that never sleeps (some of which is perfectly usable) the nonprofit strives to lighten the landfill load by cherry picking discarded materials that can be easily reused by contractors, architects, designers and homeowners. Currently, the group’s inventory consists of a whopping 75 tons of salvaged goodies. Not too shabby!
Source: 1-800-RECYCLING.com
By Elizah Leigh