Walter Thomas & Associates is a Service Disabled Veteran owned business.

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We serve public agencies and private companies throughout the United States.

Recycling

Construction & Demolition Materials

Construction and demolition (C&D) materials consist of the debris generated during the construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges. C&D materials often contain bulky, heavy materials that include:

• concrete,
• wood (from buildings),
• asphalt (from roads and roofing shingles),
• gypsum (the main component of drywall),
• metals,
• bricks,
• glass,
• plastics,
• salvaged building components (doors, windows, and plumbing fixtures), and
• trees, stumps, earth, and rock from clearing sites.

Reducing and recycling C&D materials conserves landfill space, reduces the environmental impact of producing new materials, creates jobs, and can reduce overall building project expenses through avoided purchase/disposal costs.

Reducing C&D Materials

Reducing the amount of C&D materials disposed of in landfills or combustion facilities provides numerous benefits.

• Less waste can lead to fewer disposal facilities, potentially reducing associated environmental issues including methane gas emissions which contribute to global climate change.
• Reducing, reusing, and recycling C&D materials offsets the need to extract and consume virgin resources, which also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Deconstruction and selective demolition methods divert large amounts of materials from disposal and provide business opportunities within the local community.

Reuse and recycling of C&D materials is one component of a larger holistic practice called sustainable or green building construction. The efficient use of resources is a fundamental tenet of green building construction. This means reducing, reusing, and recycling most if not all materials that remain after a construction or renovation project.

Concrete Recycling 

Recycled Aggregates

Construction materials are increasingly judged by their ecological characteristics. Concrete recycling gains importance because it protects natural resources and eliminates the need for disposal by using the readily available concrete as an aggregate source for new concrete or pavement sub-base layers. According to a Federal Highway Administration study, 38 states recycle concrete as an aggregate base; 11 recycle it into new portland cement concrete. The states that do use recycled concrete aggregate in new concrete report that concrete with recycled concrete aggregate performs equal to concrete with natural aggregates.

Steel Recycling

Since the early 1970's, the North American steel industry has invested over $60 billion in becoming a more sustainable industry. In a typical year, more than 15 percent of the steel industry's capital expenditures are directed towards environmental improvement.

Steel is North America's most recycled material. It has an average recycling rate in excess of 50 percent since World War II and over 60 percent since 1970. Last year, over 67 million tons of steel scrap were recycled in the United States.

Even while two out of every three pounds of new steel are produced from old steel, it is still necessary to continue to use some quantities of virgin materials. This is true because many steel products remain in service as durable goods for decades at a time and demand for steel around the world continue to grow.

Steelmaking, based on recycling, requires less energy and material resources than using virgin iron ore from the ground.

Wood Recycling

There are several alternatives to disposal for wood waste that can be reused as lumber for both structural and ornamental applications. These alternatives can save money in avoided disposal fees and potentially generate income from the sale of salvageable materials.

Demolition

Demolition of older or unique structures can yield valuable materials such as wooden fixtures, moldings, casings, sashes, framing, and timbers for reuse or re-milling. These types of structures are more likely to contain structural components worthy of re-milling, for both structural and ornamental applications, and fixtures of interest.

Walter Thomas and Associates is a leading proponent of re-using and recycling construction and demolition materials, saving money for our clients and helping to preserve the fragile environment that is entrusted to all of us.  Walter Thomas and Associates is proud to be one of Southern California's leading Green companies.