C&D World 2024: Recyclers focus on refining end products

Construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility operators can only raise tipping rates so much—ultimately, success depends on end markets, according to a group of operators at the 2024 C&D World Conference & Exhibition, which took place Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Bonita Springs, Florida.

During an Operations Panel session led by moderator Troy Lautenbach of Lautenbach Recycling; Andrea Johnson of Charlottesville, Virginia-based Van der Linde Recycling; David DeVito of New Hampshire-based ReSource Waste Services; and Allen Burns of Philadelphia-based Richard S. Burns & Co. delved into the regional differences and operational aspects of running a recycling plant and offered ideas for innovation.

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More and more C&D recycling facilities are getting into the business of creating products such as gravel and mulch, but they also often face bias when it comes to selling those products, Johnson said.

“We’ve found there is some bias because it comes from a recycling facility. People are not expecting it to be a really good product,” she said. “So basically we have to do twice the work to be able to have a really good product. We're making sure that there's no contamination.”

That may mean spending more time on sorting and investing more in ground labor to keep contamination to a minimum and ensure the highest-quality end product, as well as empowering the sorting line to think in terms of the end product.

C&D recycling is more than sorting, it’s manufacturing a product to a spec, DeVito said. Those working the line are not just sorters, they’re working on a manufacturing line. Some operators are starting to pay a commission on what’s pulled from the line, turning their sorters into entrepreneurs.

“I try to turn my guys into entrepreneurs, and pay them a commission,” Burns said. “They also have a base salary, and then so much per pound for everything you pull out.”

When it comes to trusting sorters with the quality of the end product, experienced workers can prove to be invaluable, the operators agreed. Paying a bit of a higher wage to keep people around pays off in the end, Johnson said. Because it can take tremendous effort to train new employees, she explained, there’s huge value in having employees who are seasoned, and a seasoned staff can improve productivity as well as the end product.

Finally, operators are starting to get creative with end markets. Bringing innovative new end products to market, the operators explained, often looks like working with vendors to create new products that will help them. For instance, DeVito worked with a customer to use paper sludge to create daily covers for landfill. Finding creative new uses for recovered materials will help the operator to move more materials in the long run, the operators agreed.