Ronald Wilkes in an expert in waste removal and recycling techniques. As the founder and owner of Charlotte Dumpster Service, he helps clients throughout the North Carolina area rent roll-off containers and dispose of trash from their homes and commercial properties. In this article, Wilkes explains how the waste removal industry is responding to the new green movement.
When it comes to environmental friendliness in the trash removal industry, we are still in the infancy stage. Although the number of materials that can be recycled or reused rather than thrown away is growing each year, it is still a small percentage when compared to all the products that are being thrown away in the landfills each day.
I will say that at this time not as much gets recycled as could be. But that has a lot to do with the way the system is set up. There are a lot of products and materials that homeowners throw away during the course of a remodeling project that they could be recycling instead. But in order to make sure these materials are being recycled, a homeowner really needs to talk to the person hauling his trash and make his wishes known.
As far as the materials that can be recycled, many types of brick, block concrete, metal- any type of masonry material really — can all be recycled rather than thrown away in the landfill. Clean drywall or lumber that has not been treated, and of course dirt, can all be recycled as well. In order for that to happen, though, the material must be separated and cleaned prior to be taken to a recycling center.
If a homeowner has a bunch of metal being thrown out during his project, he should definitely ask his dumpster service professional about recycling options in his area. Often, after I find out the size and the amount of material I am dealing with, I can get the homeowner an estimate for how much I can pay him for the metal. Metal is currently the only material that I can pay homeowners for on the back end, but it is definitely a nice way for a homeowner who is working on a project to make a little extra money.
After a particular material has been identified and the homeowner has instructed me that he would like it recycled, I will take that material to a specific recycling center that works with that product. Even if the homeowner isn’t going to be making any money off of his recycling efforts, it is still the eco-friendly thing to do.
On the other hand, certain materials are so hazardous that they cannot even be taken to a regular landfill. As a professional in North Carolina, I cannot take some liquids such as pesticides, oil, gasoline, paint, or cleaning supplies to a regular landfill. If a homeowner has these types of products, I recommend that he call his local municipal building and get specific directions for what to do.
As time goes on, I can see the trash industry becoming more recycling-friendly. For now though, not as much material is getting recycled as there is material that could be getting recycled. Unfortunately, that’s just the way the system is set up. If you are a homeowner who is interested in changing that, speak with your dumpster professional.
