Recycling Buildings: Deconstruction Back to Construction
Recycling Buildings
Deconstruction Back to Construction
I first heard about this method on NPR. I always assumed that recycling was nearly impossible for buildings unless you are talking about metals or certain plastics. I never thought about other materials such as shingles, the foundation, walls, and flooring. In this blog, I will discuss how these materials can be recycled and the process it takes. I will not go through every single part of the building. That would take too long.
Concrete Recycling
No building can stand without a good foundation. Most foundations are built with concrete. It is not a surprise that it can be recycled. How it is recycled is fairly simple. They crush it down, remove any other materials such as rebar, crushed down some more, sifted, and then what's left is used for what is called RCA or recycled concrete aggregate. Then, it can be used in decorative concrete or even road concrete.I live in Indianapolis and off of I70 on the westside, there is such a facility that recycles road materials such as concrete. It is amazingly simple of how they do it. It goes through a machine where it is pulverized and what comes out is powder.
Wood
This is another building material that I was surprised can be recycled. After researching its process, I realized how simple it is. After the wood structure is dismantled, the wood is separated with all contaminants removed such as nails. Wood pieces that are irregular are separated from regular ones. Then, the wood is ground down so it can be used for making compressed wood and into animal bedding. Bricks
If you live in a town or city that is old enough to once have brick roadways, you may be wondering what happened to those bricks if they weren't simply paved over. Well, bricks can be recycled. Bricks, after all are just clay. Naturally, bricks are recycled back into bricks. In some cases, bricks can also be recycled into gravel or used in road construction. The process is similar to concrete where it is ground down into a powder and then reshaped into another product.Roofing
No building is complete without a roof. Now, there are many types of roofs. Your home has a roof and if it is the traditional shingled variety, those shingles can be recycled. It is after all asphalt. If you have a metal roof, well, of course metals can be melted down into other products. What about other types of roofs? Clay, slate, or concrete roofs of course can be recycled. So can PVC roofing. If you saw my earlier blog about materials that can be recycled, PVC can be recycled. It is somewhat difficult, but it is possible.
Concrete Recycling
No building can stand without a good foundation. Most foundations are built with concrete. It is not a surprise that it can be recycled. How it is recycled is fairly simple. They crush it down, remove any other materials such as rebar, crushed down some more, sifted, and then what's left is used for what is called RCA or recycled concrete aggregate. Then, it can be used in decorative concrete or even road concrete.
I live in Indianapolis and off of I70 on the westside, there is such a facility that recycles road materials such as concrete. It is amazingly simple of how they do it. It goes through a machine where it is pulverized and what comes out is powder.
Wood
This is another building material that I was surprised can be recycled. After researching its process, I realized how simple it is. After the wood structure is dismantled, the wood is separated with all contaminants removed such as nails. Wood pieces that are irregular are separated from regular ones. Then, the wood is ground down so it can be used for making compressed wood and into animal bedding.
Bricks
If you live in a town or city that is old enough to once have brick roadways, you may be wondering what happened to those bricks if they weren't simply paved over. Well, bricks can be recycled. Bricks, after all are just clay. Naturally, bricks are recycled back into bricks. In some cases, bricks can also be recycled into gravel or used in road construction. The process is similar to concrete where it is ground down into a powder and then reshaped into another product.
Roofing
No building is complete without a roof. Now, there are many types of roofs. Your home has a roof and if it is the traditional shingled variety, those shingles can be recycled. It is after all asphalt. If you have a metal roof, well, of course metals can be melted down into other products. What about other types of roofs? Clay, slate, or concrete roofs of course can be recycled. So can PVC roofing. If you saw my earlier blog about materials that can be recycled, PVC can be recycled. It is somewhat difficult, but it is possible.
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