Construction Waste Recycling

Material Recycling

Construction & Demolition (C&D) debris is waste resulting from construction, building remodeling, repair, deconstruction or demolition operations. Below is a list of some of the materials with links to company listings, resources and frequently asked questions. (Also check your local contacts and yellow pages.)

Material / Recycling Companies / Additional Guidance
Asphalt / RMMD / 1,000 yds inert notification
Ashalt Shingle Recycling Best Practices
Brick / RMMD / FAQ / 1,000 yds inert notification
BldgMatl List
Cardboard / RMMD
Carpet / RMMD / FAQ
Bldg Matl List
Ceiling tiles / Local collections / Asbestos testing required
Michigan collection sites available
Concrete / RMMD / FAQ / 1,000 yds inert notification
Bldg Matl List /
Drywall / None available in Michigan / FAQ / Drywall -fact sheet & exemption

Fluorescent lights, mercury / RMMD / FAQ / No reuse allowed – recycle only
Glass / RMMD / Reuse of clean glass not restricted
Paint / FAQ / Paint Recycling
PVC / Vinyl / RMMD
Building Matl list
PVC Resources
Shingles / Shingle Recycling Locations / FAQ / DNRE Shingle exemption
Shingle Recycling Best Practices
Styrofoam / RMMD
Toxics –mercury, pesticides, etc / Household
Commercial / FAQ
Vinyl / PVC / RMMD
PVC Resources
Wood / Pallet Recycling
RMMD
Wood Recycling / FAQ / Scrap wood recycling locations,
burning requirements
& exemption

Additional Resources

Local Resources

211

If you have usable materials nonprofit organizations in the community could use, call 211. This connects you to a central contact for the area’s non-profit organizations. Tell them what you have and they can get the details out to all the area non-profit contacts. This is particularly helpful for soft deconstruction items like carpeting, lights, cabinets, file cabinets, appliances, etc.

County Recycling Contacts

Contact your county recycling office to determine if there is an area guidebook listing area recycling sites.

Building Materials Restores

Building ReStores are excellent contacts for building materials and some areas have a warehouse and network for larger quantities. Donations qualify for tax benefits. They’re great for putting the donated materials back into the community at lower prices thus helping communities rebuild and maintain quality homes and fight blight.

Local Resources - online

Local online resources to consider include:

  • Craigslist.org
  • FreeCycle.org

Waste & Building Material Exchanges

Online exchanges that may be useful include:

  • CMDepot.com
  • PlantetReuse.com
  • BuildingSurplus.com
  • Dungbee.com

Updated 04/25/10