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Drywall waste then and now: What I've seen over the years
I've been putting up drywall for over two decades. Back in the day, we just threw all the cut-offs into a dumpster at the end of the job. Now, on every site I work, we have separate bins for gypsum recycling. We use boards that come with recycled stuff in them, which means less new mining. The sanding dust gets sucked up by strong vacs instead of filling the room. It adds a bit to our day, but I like knowing we're cutting down on trash. Sometimes I think about how easy it was to just toss everything, but this way feels right. Our trade is slowly getting greener, and that's a win in my book.
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oliviadixon7mo ago
Yeah, the bit about trucks driving half-empty hits home. I’ve seen those separate bins on sites just sit full for weeks, so it’s hard to believe it’s all getting processed. Sometimes it does feel like we’re just doing it for the sticker.
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jackson.sarah7mo ago
But is it really a win when those recycling trucks burn fuel driving half-empty loads across the county? We separate the gypsum, but then it just sits in a yard until there's enough to process. And let's be real, a lot of sites still send most of their waste to the same landfill, just in a different colored bin. Feels more like a paperwork win than actually helping the planet much.
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the_amy7mo ago
Our plant only calls for pickup at 90% capacity. Fuel use dropped and we stopped stockpiling gypsum.
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