With Councils spending significant time, effort and money on increasing the diversion of new fractions of kerbside municipal waste from landfill amid difficult times for recycling and changing regulation around organics, one significant opportunity for diversion of waste from landfill lies with construction and demolition waste (C&D).
The components of C&D waste include some basic, heavy and voluminous materials. Masonry, such as brick and concrete, steel and timber plus plastics and cardboards used for packaging.
Larger projects have seen strong trends towards planned separation and recycling of some of these materials whilst smaller buildings may find it more difficult to separate, store and transport to recycling facilities. Old asphalt may also be extracted and separated and is 100% recyclable. Markets too are developing with off-takers usually available.
The introduction and increases of levies across Australia, most significantly Queensland and South Australia, provide an obvious opportunity to assess collection, transport and disposal for materials collected from building sites.
In Queensland, the levy now provides a genuine incentive to divert timbers for processing for composting or energy production. Soft plastics collectors and processors, such as Cleanaway or Veolia are offering services and their efforts should be supported.
Receivers or handlers of C&D waste can increase their waste diversion (and reduce waste disposal costs) by organising a basic waste audit to identify the materials that can be separated for recycling in order of value. Generally masonry material and metals will be the priority, with timbers (not treated), cardboards, plastics the next materials to address with customers.
Now is a perfect time to review C&D waste sorting and recycling opportunities.
Check out these C&D Waste videos:
If you’re able to separate incoming plasterboard, there are machines that will separate the gypsum from the paperboard
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