Green Demolitions: What it is and What are the Benefits?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demolition waste accounts for about 90 percent of all construction waste. Much of this waste is tossed in dumpsters, loaded onto trucks, and sent to landfills for disposal. But it doesn’t always necessarily have to be this way, and green demolition practices are growing in popularity across the country to help reduce the amount of material disposed of in landfills and encourage reuse and recycling among would-be discarded construction materials.

In fact, in some cities, green demolition and proof that contractors are recycling or reusing at least 50 percent of all materials is a requirement – and such sustainable practices are likely to expand as more consumers and brands become more aware of how their actions impact the environment. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at green demolitions. We’ll explain how they’re defined, some of the common materials that can be recycled, the environmental benefits of these practices, and more. Read on to learn more:

What is Green Demolition?

Simply put, green demolition is essentially an environmentally responsible way of demolishing or dismantling a building. Rather than loading up dumpsters of debris and sending them to landfills, the goal of green demolition practices is to reuse or recycle as much as possible. When you consider that up to 80 percent of a demolished building is able to be reused or recycled in some way, the extra effort to sort and save materials that can be salvaged can make a big difference when it comes to waste. And reducing this waste is a key benefit to the local community.

Some of the building materials that can be recycled and reused include:

Environmental Benefits of Green Demolition

As we said in the above section, green demolition practices are good for the local environment. But such practices can also be a boom for business and create positive publicity. Here’s a closer look at some of the key benefits associated with green demolitions:

As we noted in the above section, when building materials that may be destined for the scrap heap can be reused or recycled, then less waste goes to landfill. Considering that up to 80 percent of all building materials can be recycled or reused, there’s great potential to keep construction debris out of local landfills. In many parts of the country, landfills are running low on space. In fact, as many as seven states are projected to run out of landfill space within the next five years. More states are projected to only have 10 to 20 years before they run out of space. This data underscores the need to conserve what is sent to landfills and act to recycle and reuse what we can. Building materials represent a big opportunity.

Resources are not indefinite, but finite. And it’s much more environmentally friendly to recycle or reuse building materials that already exist than to create new products out of virgin materials. Reusing and recycling eliminate the need for extraction and processing of raw materials, both of which contribute to water pollution, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Simply put, green demolition helps to keep existing resources in use.

As we mentioned in the above bullet point, recycling or reusing existing building materials helps curb emissions necessary to process new products. But there’s also the potential to reduce emissions during the transportation process as well. The ability to regionally recycle or reprocess building materials means you’ll likely only have to transport such materials to local facilities and not specialty landfills or dumping grounds. This can save on transportation costs as well as vehicle emissions.

Lastly, while this isn’t necessarily an environmental benefit of green demolition, the fact that reusing or recycling building materials can create new jobs and spur further economic activity in a region or community is worth noting. People are needed in order to reuse or recycle materials, which can be a boom to the local economy.

Safety and Health Considerations

Any type of construction activity – whether you’re building it up or tearing it down – is going to come with its share of safety and health hazards. It’s simply the nature of the business. Perhaps the biggest health and safety consideration associated with green demolition is that materials need to be more meticulously sorted during deconstruction to ensure they’re properly separated into what can be recycled and what can’t be. This differs from a standard demolition, where all materials are thrown into dumpsters and taken to the landfill.

Asbestos-containing materials and demolition are other safety considerations.

Contact Alpine Demolition Today

For more information on green demolition and the various environmental and economic benefits of adopting such practices, contact Alpine Demolition today. As a leading demolition contractor, we specialize in green demolition practices and ensure that our clients meet any LEED requirements on their projects. For more information and to inquire about our green demolition practices, contact Alpine Demolition today.