Recycling a priority in New Jersey demolition project

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, Inc., a contractor providing total plant dismantlement, building demolition, rigging and decommissioning services, recently completed the demolition of a large chemical manufacturing facility in New Jersey.

Universal wastes (mercury switches, ballasts, fluorescent light tubes, etc.) were collected, characterized, containerized and the shipped off-site for proper recycling.

Buildings were demolished in a controlled manner and special attention was given to sorting of materials.

R. Baker & Son optimized the percentage of construction and demolition (C&D) materials recycled.

In order to maximize recycling efforts, masonry, metals and concrete were carefully separated from debris and wood materials. Some concrete and masonry was crushed on-site and used for grading purposes but because the building slabs remained, a majority of the concrete and block was shipped offsite for recycling. Metals were sorted into ferrous and non-ferrous and shipped to a local recycling company.

R. Baker & Son estimates nearly 90 percent of the C&D materials were recycled due to the segregating techniques utilized by the dismantling crews. This effort is not only environmentally sound but also has positive financial impacts for the company as recycling of the materials is more inexpensive then landfilling.