What do you do to recycle on the job?

In the Chicago area landfill space is about gone. The garbage is generally compacted and shipped to landfills to the south. The dumpster company that I use takes all shingle loads to a plant in Wisconsin to be recycled into road material. I encourage the crew to take the aluminum and lead for extra cash but I don't think they do it as much as they should.>>>

I kept 241 cubic yards of iso out of a landfill by saving what some boneheaded consulant demanded be torn off to make himself look good, and sold it one of my good customers at a rate that saved them almost $10,000 off the cost of new insulation.

I look for opportunities, but they can be hard to find.

All metals are recycled, and the formen split the proceeds.>>>

Hi Copperman,

They are in Lansdale. They will put a dumpster at each job. But they will not put one at my shop? I want the biggest dumpster at my shop. They will get a cleaner load, and save on time and fuel. It just does not make sense to them.

http://eastcoastshinglerecyclers.com/Homeowners.html>>>

We save all aluminum, copper, lead, and any other metal goes to the dump alongside the debris of shingles, cut-up newer debris of shingles, felt, wrappers.>>>

EPDM, copper, lead and aluminum go to my shop and get recycled into other projects, from cleats, to bibs, to bullets, to lead anchors, to sinkers, to whatever use I find. I have friends who often want the salvage for their own projects.>>>

We been approached by two recyclers for shingles. What have roofers been paying to dump shingles, paper, nails to a recycler? Have to be careful when recycling so the owner or neighbors don't empty their shed and garage into the dumpster. I use to pay flat fee so I would tell the owner to fill er up if they wanted. Sometimes that in is self helped a sale. This would go to a licenced construction material land fill. Now we are into pay by the ton.

EPDM is recyclable if you cut it into managable pieces and resell for ponds or wood pile covers - what ever. Makes excellent slip sheets over a liveroof or paverroof.

PVC is not recyclable but can be used for slip sheets. Many of the PVC products can still be heat welded if they have not lost the flexiblility. PVC must be disposed of properly as it contains dioxins and other cancer causing agents. TPO is not much worried about presently cause it is to new. I understand there are systems in the works to recycle the plastic from the sheet.

Most insulations if not wet- but dirty still retain the base R values. Throwing insulation out is not good. If extruded polysytrene get soaked it will not dried out as easy as ISO. How everm both take a long time. I stuck 40 squares of Extruded Polystyrene in a ware house that was soaked. When dry could later resell it to some low end landlords. 5 years later it was still wet. I never save wet bead board cause it falls apart when soaked.

Once in a while I will advertise free insulation and set out odd sizes- mostly tapered boards for people to come and take. Hunting cabins and shacks for recreation are easily built with salvaged materials. >>>