Construction & Demolition
Our Construction and Demolition Recycling Facility
Republic Services’ Laflin Avenue recycling plant is a full service, 90,000 sq. ft. construction and demolition recycling facility located on Chicago’s West Side. Built in part to address Chicago’s significant C&D waste stream, the $8 million state-of-the-art facility can process up to 1,500 tons of C&D debris daily. No other recycling plant in the Midwest can match the facility’s recovery rate of 90 percent of recyclable material, proving that Republic’s top-notch facility is leading the industry in the U.S.
Designed specifically to accept commingled loads, the facility uses the latest C&D recycling technologies to provide clean, environmentally sound separation of C&D waste and recover the usable portion for resale. Employing automated technology and manual sorting, the facility processes C&D loads generated from various sources including new construction, building renovations and demolition of buildings, roads and bridges. The waste stream is comprised of wood, drywall, metals, concrete, dirt and cardboard—materials that are reused and recycled in end markets such as biofuel, wood pellets, landscaping mulch, hot-mix asphalt, cold patch, new concrete, and recycled cardboard products.
Republic is very proud of its modern recycling equipment in its new facility, but it is most proud of the ability to cultivate reliable end markets for all of your recycled materials. Republic Services works hard to bring you into full compliance with state and local regulations, work with you on your LEED-certified projects, and always strive to provide you with an environmentally safe, efficient, low cost solution for all of your C&D recycling needs.
Cost Effective
Contractors using the construction and demolition facility can save money on pickup and hauling costs, eliminate multiple dumpster rentals, landfill fees—in addition to qualifying for grants from the U.S Green Building Council towards LEED certification.
Republic’s facility is designed specifically to accept co-mingled loads, which lessens the time and labor costs spent sorting debris on jobsites.
When done effectively, a C&D recycling program should not cost much more than a standard waste program. Republic Services can provide the training and monitoring to make sure the program captures as much recyclable material as possible.
The non-tangible benefits are just as important, benefiting the environment, social and financial concerns. Saving natural resources and reducing the pressure on landfills can divert dollars to local economies and promote an enhanced community image.
If the appropriate planning is done beforehand, the program will be easy to manage with little additional cost and quite possibly some savings.
