Establishing a successful construction/demolition (C&D) waste recyling operation in the USA is a challenge today, especially because secondary materials markets have not yet matured. Increasingly, municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill operations refuse to accept C&D waste. Skyrocketing tipping fees due to the scarcity of landfill sites, and growing concerns from regulatory agencies and the public, have placed C&D waste recycling operations under intense scrutiny. The experiences of regional C&D recyclers indicate that successful recycling operations require a minimum of 0.8 ha of clear space for processing equipment, incoming waste stockpiles, recycled materials, and manoeuvring room for mobile equipment and operations. Reasonable quality, reliable equipment suitable for these operations generally costs between $300 000 and $750 000 for a 400-500 tonne/day operation. At present, operators of these facilities make a profit almost solely on tipping fees, with the recycling operation functioning mainly to maintain materials throughput. Different categories of C&D recycling machinery and waste processing strategies are presented. Strategies for converting C&D landfills into successful C&D recycling operations are also examined. C&D waste recycling economics are presented to demonstrate the essential ingredients for successful operations.Recycling, Landfill, Machinery, Demolition, Waste, Sustainability, Environmental Impact,
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.