The State of the Drywall Recycling Industry
To keep our clients informed with the most up to date info on C&D recycling, Premier Recycle Co. will be starting a six part series detailing some of the material that is present on the majority of construction/demolition sites. Thank you for taking the time to read, as we are here to help.
Gypsum drywall is one of the most difficult materials to recycle in the C&D material stream. This difficulty stems from the inherent lack of monetary value and ease of processing the used commodity. This makes marketing development the most integral portion of recycling drywall. Many in the building industry strive to recycle because of increasing green building standard requirements, but like concrete in its historical inability to be remade into virgin material, re-manufacturing drywall is no simple task. Most gypsum is currently used as an agricultural soil amendment.
There is nothing new about gypsum's use in agriculture considering for centuries this naturally occurring mineral has been mined. In fact, Benjamin Franklin in his celebrated book: An Agricultural Catechism; Or The Chemistry of Farming Made Easy (1831) spoke of the importance of “taking care of the land.” Mr. Franklin suggested such practices as planting clover to put nitrogen back in farmed soil, and recommended using plaster of Paris (gypsum) as a fertilizer. However, gypsum is currently being seriously underutilized for use with irrigated agriculture throughout California and the West." (Western Farm Press)
Gypsum is most notable for its ability to lower soil acidity, aerate clay soils, and provide 16 times more calcium to plants than naturally occurs.
Converting used drywall gypsum board to new virgin board is another story. The C&D industry has faced increased scrutiny, notably in states like California, over the speculated toxic gases gypsum produces when it comes in contact with water. This presents a problem in stockpiling gypsum if agriculture markets are oversupplied, or if the market were to dry up completely. DRS Inc. of Woodinville, Washington, says “there are thousands of wood, concrete, asphalt, and roofing recyclers in the world but only a handful of drywall recyclers. We saw a niche market that few have tried to master because of al the hurdles. There is a huge need to recycle gypsum and our landfills don’t need any more in them.” Some countries have even banned the disposal of drywall because by weight it’s a large part of what goes into landfills.
DRS took an unusual step in C&D recycling of going public and having its stock listed on a stock exchange. According to Daniel Mendes, the president of DRS, that process is very difficult, time consuming, and expensive. “You need to be prepared for a long and draining process, even though many financial professionals will promise you substantial and quick results.” Although they have one processing facility now, becoming publicly owned was right for DRS. They believe there is a clear and obvious niche for “full service” (installing, hauling, and recycling drywall) in hopes of becoming a national provider of said services. “Because of the costs to expand we will have to tap into the capital markets in order to properly brand ourselves nationally to create a nationally based marketing model.”
Advertising- if people don’t know they can recycle a product they will throw it away. DRS is working on a campaign that will reach everyone in a region numerous times a year so when they have waste drywall and gypsum to dispose of, they know DRS is an alternative.
1. C + D World Issue October 2010; Drywall Future. Bill Turley
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