Recycling After Home Renovations

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When you see home renovations occur and witness the large amount of demolition being taken away, you might believe that all the waste goes to the landfill. But you may be surprised that a large portion heads to recycling centers. 

But whether you are making improvements to stay in the home for a long time or simply house flipping to get the most out of your investment, there are things you need to know about recycling the demolition waste. 

What Items Can Be Recycled?

The answer is that many of the items being replaced can be recycled. A short list of the items that you can donate to recycling includes the following:

  • Appliances, Bathroom, Kitchen, and Lighting Fixtures, and Cabinets
  • Bricks, Ceiling Tiles, and Carpeting
  • Dimensional Lumber, Doors, and Ductwork
  • Flooring, Insulation, and Landscape 
  • Marble, Metal Frames, and Plywood
  • Paneling, Pipes, and Siding
  • Stone, Tile, and Trim along with Antique Molding
  • Toilets, Windows, Wood Beams & Posts, and More 

There are many basic items and materials that can also be recycled from the waste generated from the remodeling. This includes asphalt, concrete, drywall, metal, wood, window glass, and even dirt and vegetation. 

To Donate, Recycle, or Sell?

There is a difference between recycling used items and donating them. Typically, donated items are those that can still be used by other people with little to no repair needed. While the list of donated items can be large, the most typical for most home renovations include the following:

  • Bathtubs, Toilets, & Sinks
  • Cabinets, Doors, and Windows
  • Working Appliances, Lighting, & Handles 
  • Lumber, Tiles, and Wood Flooring

You can donate these items as part of your home renovation. Plus, any items that are intact and can be used again should be considered for donation purposes. 

If the items are valuable enough and in-demand, you can sell them directly. While you may not get as much as you paid for them originally, it can help reduce the cost of the home renovation. The most obvious online places to sell used items are Craigslist and eBay, but you may find online sites that sell locally for items that may be difficult to ship. 

Keep in mind that if it costs more to sell than to donate, you are better off donating. 

Where to Find Recycling & Donation Centers?

Everything starts with your local resources. Check out what recycling and donation centers are in your community. A few of the national organizations include the following. 

  • Building Materials Reuse Association
  • Construction & Demolition Recycling Association
  • Freecycle Network
  • Habitat for Humanity ReStores 

You can also check with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and your local and state governments for places to recycle or donate such items. 

Whether you engage in home renovations to stay in your residence for the rest of your life or are house flipping a property you just purchased, recycling the demolition and waste is necessary. Not only to protect the environment but to get the most out of your renovation efforts without spoiling the community where you live. 

Contact Brickley Environmental Today 

With numerous dangers facing your home or business, calling the professionals at Brickley Environmental is a good place to start. We offer our knowledge and experience along with the tools to detect and remove infestations of various types. The services provided by Brickley Environmental include the following. 

  • Asbestos Abatement
  • Mold Remediation
  • Lead-Based Paint Removal 
  • Demolition 
  • Hazardous Waste Removal

If you are facing any of these issues, call Brickley Environmental today. Our friendly, courteous staff will take your call and answer your questions, so you can make the best-informed decision about what to do next. At Brickley Environmental, we are here to help you.

 

How to Prepare Your Home for the Spring

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Spring not only brings warmer temperatures but also new dangers to your home or business in the form of termites. Termites cause roughly $5 billion in damage across the US every year. Plus, for homeowners, damage caused by termites is normally not covered by home insurance.

The lack of coverage is due to the designation that damage caused by termites is preventable. This means that you will need regular inspections and the use of treatments if termites are detected. But when should such inspections begin?

Termite Season

There are two basic types of termites in California, drywood and subterranean. Drywood termites create colonies inside the wood while subterranean termites live under the ground. 

While drywood termites are most active in the late summer and early fall, subterranean termites are mostly active in the spring. It is when they leave their colonies and swarm to find new mates. Once they have found their mates, a new termite colony is born. Such termites are called swarmers because they have wings until they find their mates. 

If you see insects that look like flying ants around your property, that is a sign that termites might be present. The presence of discarded wings around your home, office, or facility is another visible sign that a colony may be nearby or even inside the building or home. 


Protecting Your Property from Termites

Whether you have seen the aforementioned signs of termites or not, it pays to have your home inspected by professionals. They can locate and identify termite colonies that may be residing inside or near your home or building. By locating such colonies, they can be dealt with in an appropriate manner that protects the wood structure. 

Standard passive protection from termites includes creating barriers around your home to prevent termites from going inside. Another popular form of protection is using bait near the colonies. The bait will steer the termites away from your property. The result is when the bait runs out, the colony will die out as well. In addition, you can also follow these tips.

  • Remove dead trees and shrubs that have yet to be infected by termites
  • Remove any newspapers, books, and other paper-based products from storage areas such as the basement, attic, or garage. 
  • Conduct regular inspections for mud tubes and discarded wings of termites during the spring

However, if termites have gotten into your home, you will need to have them removed to stop any further damage. A professional termite exterminator will be needed to locate and destroy all the termites present in the structure. 


Contact Brickley Environmental Today 

With numerous dangers facing your home or business, calling the professionals at Brickley Environmental is a good place to start. We offer our knowledge and experience along with the tools to detect and remove infestations of various types. The services provided by Brickley Environmental include the following. 

  • Asbestos Abatement
  • Mold Remediation
  • Lead-Based Paint Removal 
  • Demolition 
  • Hazardous Waste Removal

If you are facing any of these issues, call Brickley Environmental today. Our friendly, courteous staff will take your call and answer your questions, so you can make the best-informed decision about what to do next. At Brickley Environmental, we are here to help you.

Sustainable Management of C&D Materials

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Construction and demolition materials, often known as C&D materials, consist of the basic products used to create residences, buildings, and structures. These materials are used during the construction process, which subsequently means they will have to be broken apart during the demolition phase. 

The result is that such materials will need to be properly disposed of. Quite often during the construction process, materials will be leftover and not used. Such materials include but are not limited to:

  • Asphalt, concrete and bricks or masonry
  • Wood, gypsum, and glass
  • Metal, plastics, and other components

Other components often consist of items salvaged from other projects, such as doors, plumbing, and the like. There are also natural materials that are removed from the property for the purposes of construction, such as soil, trees, stumps, and rocks. 

Amount of C&D Material Debris

In the US alone, the amount of C&D material either created by demolition or leftover from construction is estimated to be 600 million tons each year. This is more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste that is generated. 

It is true that demolition is responsible for around 90% of the C&D material produced. Roughly 455 million tons were reused in some manner with the remaining being sent to landfills. 

Benefits of Reducing C&D Material Disposal

While a considerable amount of C&D material is being reused or repurposed, there are still nearly 145 million tons that are not. The advantages of reducing the amount of material generated are considerable. These include:

  • Fewer disposal facilities
  • Reduce building & demolition expenses
  • Offset environmental impact
  • Reduce use of landfill space 

Creating less overall waste is also beneficial because certain types of waste materials simply cannot be repurposed. By reducing the amount that is generated, more can be repurposed or recycled. This also helps the environment. 

In addition to the cleaner air, land, and waterways, the reduction of C&D materials provides benefits across the board. By focusing on how much C&D materials are used, the construction process can become more efficient and waste less material. For demolition practices, finding ways to properly reuse or repurpose materials leads to greater efficiency, less waste, and more jobs as companies form.

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

For those who are interested in the proper disposal of construction and demolition materials, Brickley Environmental has the knowledge, experience, and equipment to do the job. Over the years, Brickley Environmental has helped many home and business owners dispose of unwanted materials, including those used in construction and demolition. 

Call today and find out more about how Brickley Environmental can help you clean up a construction or demolition site. Contact us today and discover what Brickley Environmental can offer you. 

For more information on sustainable management of construction and demolition materials, click here to visit the EPA website.

Demolition: Construction in Reverse with Additional Hazards

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Demolition

Demolition could be dangerous. The hazards of a construction site are well known with thousands of minor injuries, hundreds of serious injuries, and accidental death being a part of the process. The same is true for demolition; the deconstruction of buildings. 

Although it is easier to demolish than construct, the injuries and fatalities that occur on demolition sites can be greatly reduced with the proper planning, training, protective equipment, and compliance with standards set by OSHA. 

The Hazards of Demolition

Demolition involves the same basic hazards as construction with additional factors that make it, in some ways, even more dangerous. These can include things such as:

  • Hidden Hazardous Materials: Asbestos, Heavy Metals, Lead, and more 
  • Unknown Changes or Modifications to the Building Structure 
  • Weaknesses in Construction Materials
  • Hazards of the Methods Used in Demolition 

To ensure maximum safety for all who are involved in demolition efforts, care must be taken right from the start. Helpful actions that can aid in this include:

  • Planning: This begins with a full survey and inspection of the building about to be demolished by a trained, qualified specialist. 
  • Locating Utilities: All nearby utilities need to be located and accounted for in the demolition process. 
  • Safety Protocols: This includes prevention of fire, having first aid and emergency services close by, and an evacuation plan in case the structure is about to collapse. 

All of this must take place before the demolition work begins. It is this type of preparation that can prevent injuries and save lives. 

Protection

All personnel on the demolition site should wear the proper personal protective equipment or PPE. These include:

  • Head, eyes, face, ears, hands, and feet protection
  • Respiratory Equipment
  • Personal Fall Arrest Systems or PFAS
  • Proper Protective Equipment for specialized jobs, such as welding 

Wearing the proper protective gear can help prevent injuries and even save lives. When combined with the right training, this can only improve the safety conditions on-site. 

Of course, accidents can happen even on the safest and most secure demolition sites. So, proper training on how to deal with injuries and having emergency services easily accessible will also help ensure safety. Following OSHA guidelines also assists in protecting employees on the demolition site. This provides guidance in recognizing potentially hazardous conditions and avoiding and removing them from the property. 

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

Brickley Environmental is the one to call to conduct a safe, secure demolition. With over 30 years of experience in the Southern California area,  Brickley Environmental follows all safety protocols,  OSHA regulations,  and engages in the proper planning to ensure that all areas are covered for your demolition project. Call us today to discuss your needs.

For more information, visit OSHA’s website. 

 

Finding New Buildings in the Dust of the Old

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With the continued and growing emphasis on sustainability in construction we could be on the verge of a radical shift in how we think about the current stock of buildings. The time may be coming when we stop planning for building replacement, and instead plan for building reuse. That in turn would significantly change the roles of designers and builders.

Continue reading “Finding New Buildings in the Dust of the Old” →