North Carolina county opens C&D recycling facility to public
Pitt County Solid Waste and Recycling’s goal is to recycle 75 percent of C&D debris at its new facility.
Pitt County, North Carolina, Solid Waste and Recycling launched its construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling facility on April 5, a report by the Daily Reflector says. The facility has been operational since March 1.
According to the report, the idea for the facility came about five years ago, when John Demary, director of Pitt County Solid Waste and Recycling, began thinking of ideas to increase the county’s recycling rate. At first, C&D debris was brought to a local transfer station. Shingles were sorted from the debris and recycled.
While fluctuating market prices are a concern, the report says, 20,000 tons of C&D debris was sent to the landfill last fiscal year. According to Demary, if 50 percent of the debris was diverted, it would save the county $292,500.
Demary’s goal is to recycle 75 percent of C&D debris, the report says.
At the facility, debris is loaded into a hopper that sends it down a vibrating screen that shakes out any metals or materials that are 4 inches or less in diameter. According to the report, the smaller debris is sent to another conveyor that runs over a magnet to remove metals and deposits them into a container.
Larger debris is hand sorted by around 12 employees, the report says.
Publicly funded projects in Pitt County are required to follow the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the report says, which will increase interest in the facility. LEED standards include reduce the amount of debris produced during construction, and recycling materials accomplishes that goal.
In the future, Demary wants to purchase a piece of wood grinding equipment that includes a magnet to remove nails, the report says.
The county used a $1.8 million loan for the project, which is being repaid through the department’s enterprise fund, the report says. The facility was designed by The East Group, Greenville, North Carolina. Hudson Brothers Construction Co, Greenville, was the contractor for the building and site work, and MetalTech Systems, Pawleys Island, South Carolina, designed and built the sorting equipment.
Source: cdrecycler.com