The Importance of Drywall Recycling

Construction and Demolition

The Construction and Demolition recycling market has gained steam in recent years. Depending on the region, C&D debris comprises an estimated 25 to 45 percent of North American waste, and up to 25% of that waste is recycled. However, that still leaves a whopping 75% that is landfilled.

 

This problem is beginning to come into the radar of state legislating bodies, and soon it may be necessary to find alternatives to land filling any C&D waste, particularly drywall, which accounts for about 26% of C&D waste.

Drywall - Problems in the Landfill

Drywall, which is composed of gypsum, is quite problematic in a landfill. When it gets wet in an environment that lacks oxygen and contains organic matter, as in a landfill, some of the sulfate from the gypsum dissolves into the water. If this reaches the groundwater, contamination with sulfate may result.

 

Hydrogen Sulfide

The other, currently more noticed, issue is the conversion of dissolved sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. This gas has an awful stench, the unmistakable smell of rotting eggs, which can be detected for miles even at very low levels. Besides the stench, it irritates the eyes, nose, and throat and can cause nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain. In high enough doses, it is lethal. The wet and anaerobic conditions of a landfill are the perfect conditions for generating hydrogen sulfide from land filled wallboard.

 

Besides health risks, hydrogen sulfide is presenting steep costs to landfills. Turbines used to generate energy from gases collected from a landfill are sensitive to the corrosive effects of hydrogen sulfide, so the energy that can be produced is greatly reduced.

 

Cumbersome and Expensive Remediation

There is a possible treatment process, but it is cumbersome and expensive. Because of the multitude of potential human and financial costs associated with hydrogen sulfide production, landfills are looking for a better way to drastically reduce hydrogen sulfide production- by preventing wallboard from entering the landfill at all. Soon legislature may be adding teeth to this proposal.

 

Drywall Recycling

The alternative to land filling wallboard is of course, recycling. This is a huge project, because wallboard is estimated to make up 15% of all waste generated, by volume. However, a few facilities are already in place to begin the transition to a greener and safer alternative for disposing of wallboard.

 

USA Gypsum

Agri Marketing, Inc., based out of Reinholds, PA is one such company that is recycling wallboard and marketing the gypsum under its label USA Gypsum for use in agriculture.

 

It has two plants located in Pennsylvania and serves the Northeastern United States. Agri-Marketing offers an inexpensive alternative to land filling wallboard. This alternative is both environmentally conscientious and an economically sound choice for managing wallboard waste.