Evolving Wallboard RecyclingClosed Loop Pilot Project Presented by: Amanda Kaminsky, Founding Partner, Building Product EcosystemsTerry L. Weaver, President, USA Gypsum

Gypsum Wallboard Recycling

1996 U.S. start upsClose loop Fail. “upcycling”required

20 Years!

USA Gypsum 1998 – 4,000 Sq. Ft. 2,000 Tons per Year

U.S Policy Impact

Clean Air Act Requires SO2 Reductions Synthetic Gypsum Floods Market 2005-

2012 Recession Shrinks Demand Cheap Natural Gas

More Air Regulations Less Coal Burned = Less Gypsum Clean Air = Farmers Purchase Sulfur

Gypsum Transport

Photo Courtesy Of The United States Gypsum Company (USG)

Scraps Agriculture Cement Wallboard0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

16,000,000

18,000,000

20,000,000

Increased Demand - Reduced Supply From A Waste to Resource

Single Stream Requires Manual “Presort”

New England Recycling, Taunton, MA

Pre Sort Is Being Done SuccessfullyNew England Recycling, Taunton, MA

Gypsum Market Owner Driven Changes

Educating construction industryChanges in Waste Management

Recycling Growth Barriers?Mining A Resource From Construction Waste

New USA Gypsum Drywall Recycle Plant – 100,000 Ton Capacity

New York City Generates 165,000* ton Year *Source NYS DEC, 2010

Multiple Attempts to Recycle – Limited Success

Policy efforts since 2003 Audit Recycling Rates Durst Initiates Building

Product Ecosystems Evolving Wallboard

Systems Work Group Established

One World Trade Center

One Bryant Park

Driver: Transparent Lifecycle + Content Accountability

Driver: Drywall Numbers in the U.S. ~9 million tons drywall waste generated/year ~400,000 tons recycled/year Millions of tons being landfilled each year

Driver: Availability of Synthetic Gypsum/Coal Byproduct

Driver: Comingled Packer Truck Loads = Mixed Fines

NYC BPE Evolving Wallboard SystemsClosed Loop RecyclingPilot Project Participants

Source Separation Sites

Durst Jobsite Source Separation

Lend Lease Jobsite Solutions

Hauler + Recycler, NJ

Received by Trailer @ USA Gypsum for Processing

Manufactures with Post-Consumer Gypsum

Gypsum Category No. of

Samples

Avg. Conc. (ppm)

Max Conc. (ppm)

< Detection Limit

(0.001 ppm)

Renovation board:

Demolition 30 0.05 0.3 40%

New trim scrap:

Natural-mined 6 0.04 0.1 50%

Synthetic 6 0.07 0.2 17%

Research Objective: Understand Content to Inform Reuse

Research Objective: Understand Content to Inform Reuse Gypsum Source Natural-Mined Synthetic

StudyThis

Study(2015)

Yost(2007)

Sanderson

(2008)

This Study(2015)

Yost (2007)

Sanderson

(2008)EPA*

(2009)Sample Size 6 - 10 6 - 12 20

Average Mercury (ppm) 0.04 0.024 - 0.07 0.38 - -

Maximum Mercury (ppm) 0.1 - 0.03 0.2 - 0.95 3.1

*Gypsum tested is pre-wallboard production. Other studies use post-wallboard production gypsum.

QUESTIONS?

Or Contact PresentersAmanda Kaminsky: (917) 816-6246, Amanda@BuildingProductEcosystems.org Terry L Weaver: 717-335-0379, terry@usagypsum.com