Construction & Demolition Debris
At the Central Landfill, construction and demolition debris (C&D) is processed on-site into a product approved for daily landfill cover. The material is created by grinding C&D into mulch form. The most common C&D wastes are bricks, clean wood, drywall, shingles, furniture and rubber. Because the debris is ground into small pieces of less than two inches, the fibers bind together to restrict air flow, and thereby greatly improving odor control when used to cover the landfilled material. The cover product is nonporous and controls erosion by absorbing and retaining water. Because the process uses debris that would typically be landfilled, this process helps conserve landfill space.
When at all possible, construction and demolition debris should be sorted before being disposed. Many components of construction and demolition projects have either recyclable or resale value. You should only bring materials to RIRRC for disposal if there is no other option.
Some alternatives to disposal for C&D debris are:
- Sorting scrap metal and wire for resale through independent recyclers
- Sort large, whole pieces of drywall for recycling at RIRRC
- Donating salvaged materials to Habitat for Humanity or other community construction organizations
- List reusable items such as fixtures on Freecycle, Craigslist, or Resource Exchange websites
C&D material is bulky, so the more we can keep out of the landfill, the more space we'll be able to preserve. For a free waste assessment of your work site, contact David Bordieri, Waste Prevention Coordinator.
