C&D Recycling

E.L. Harvey Celebrates Groundbreaking

Joined by local and regional political and community leaders,
E.L. Harvey & Sons broke ground for a $20 million recycling complex in Hopkinton, Mass. The complex will include a material recovery facility (MRF), a C&D recycling facility and a maintenance garage. The MRF and the C&D building will have a maximum capacity of 600 tons per day.

CEO Jim Harvey says, "Despite the obstacles in this permitting process, the Harvey family and their employees are very excited about this project, which will have a very positive impact on the environment and the economics of the region."

This project started in the late 1990s when the Hopkinton Economic Growth Committee came to Harvey and asked the company to build a recycling plant in Hopkinton. That began a process that required industrial rezoning.

According to Harvey, "although at times we occasionally got a little discouraged, at no time did any of our 225 employees complain about the time and money being spent for this permit," he says. "Their support inspired us to stay the course."

Responding to Harvey’s comments, Chairman of the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen Brian Herr acknowledges that this project would have a positive impact on the environment and the economics of the region. "The people of Hopkinton support this project and we look forward to working with E.L. Harvey & Sons well into the future," he says.

Founded in 1911, E.L. Harvey & Sons is one of the largest family-owned and operated full-service recycling and waste removal companies in New England with facilities in Westboro and Tyngsboro, Mass.

For more information on E.L. Harvey & Sons, see the cover profile "Family Ties" in the Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of Recycling Today’s sister publication Construction & Demolition Recycling.

C&D Law in San Diego Takes Effect

Construction and demolition debris recycling legislation approved earlier this year in San Diego has taken effect, according to a report in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Roughly half the cities in the region, as well as the county as a whole, have adopted rules for C&D recycling. In addition, at least two major waste companies are preparing to build facilities—one in El Cajon and the other in Chula Vista—to sort large loads of material from work sites, according to the report.

Since new fees went into effect discouraging landfilling of C&D material in April, San Diego has seen a substantial decrease in concrete, wood and other construction-related deposits at the Miramar Landfill.

The next step in the legislation, which was rolled out July 1, is to require developers to pay a deposit that they would recover after proving that at least 50 percent of their debris was recycled, reused or donated.

Deposits range from $200 for small projects, such as replacing a roof, to $200,000 or more for a large hotel remodel. The deposit would be $1,200 for a 3,000-square-foot home, according to the report.

Waste Management Announces Pilot Programs

Houston-based Waste Management has announced two pilot programs targeting construction and demolition recycling in Williamson County, Texas, according to a report from KVUE, Austin.

The company runs the county landfill and hopes the two projects will cut down on the amount of material headed there.

WM is seeking state approval for a tear-off asphalt shingle recycling program. According to the report, the landfill receives about 100 pounds of the material per day and wants to recycle it into a product that can be reused as asphalt, new roofing material or spray-on parking material.

If approved, Waste Management will begin the program in September.

The other pilot product would affect C&D debris by separating metal, wood, concrete, brick and sheetrock out. This program does not need state approval and would affect 500 tons of C&D debris received by the landfill per day.

September 2008
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