The price is right

Recycling Today, August, 2004

Builders and contractors can save money recycling their construction and demolition materials, while also providing environmental benefits, according to a survey recently conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The average cost to recycle concrete rubble is $4.85 per ton vs. an average of $75 per ton to haul and dispose of the material in a New Jersey landfill. Similar cost savings came from recycling asphalt ($5.70 per ton) and bricks and blocks ($5.49). Even recycling wood at $45.63 per ton and trees and stumps at $37.69 per ton is economical compared to the $75 average transportation and disposal cost, according to the DEP.

"This survey again shows that recycling C&D materials is usually the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of disposal," William Turley, executive director of the Construction Materials Recycling Association, Lisle, Ill., says.

More complete results from the survey can be found at www.state.nj.us/ep/ dshw/recycle/builderinfo.htm.