As the world shifts to utilizing sustainable practices, many industries are adapting them to reduce their impact on the environment. While both the construction and demolition industries have been going “green” for some time, the demolition industry is making a bigger push towards making them a permanent part of demolition projects. There are more green opportunities in demolition projects since recycling has become an industry standard. Using green (or sustainable) practices in demolition is one of three (robotics and AI) trends continuing into next year. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this trend will continue to mark the industry’s processes.
1.
Reducing Landfills – By recycling and salvaging materials, there is less waste sent to landfills. They should be part of the waste management plan, which includes an assessment of all materials for recycling, salvaging (or reusing) and disposal. There are many recyclable materials, such as concrete, bricks, wood, metals, insulation, drywall, and plastics. Plus, the older the structure, the more historic materials to salvage, including doors, millwork, sinks, and hardware.
2. Creating Unique Properties – Many renovated structures use sustainable demolition techniques such as select demolition and hand demolition (or deconstruction). Select demolition is demolishing only a section of the structure to make way for a renovation while the main structure is intact. The Empire Services team recently performed this technique at new thrift store opening this fall in Reading, PA. The store is renovating an existing retail space to create a drive-through/drop off area for donations located in the rear of the structure. Our team removed the roof and exterior walls to make way for the new drop off area.
Hand demolition is more labor intensive than select demolition since the demolition is done by hand to salvage materials (e.g., a door panel or floor). An example of this was the intense renovation of Vail Hall at Lincoln University. Our team removed plaster ceilings and walls, a floor structure, a basement slab, and steel beams pocketed into exterior walls.
3. Using Eco-Friendly Tools & Machines – Large machinery is often required in demolition to make projects safe and efficient. However, the use of energy-efficient tools and machines are on the rise. These are electric tools, which are mostly used in light and hand demolition work. Along with electric tools, there are electric machines. Electric excavators are out on the market, which reduce costs and carbon footprints. But what about large machinery? Prototypes are currently being developed and tested for power and longevity.
Like electric vehicles and alternative fuels, green demolition is here to stay. We will see more sustainable practices in the next year with new eco-friendly tools, more materials to recycle and reusing older structures.
At Empire Services, we strive to reduce waste on our projects and our impact on the environment. Contact us today to learn more!
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