Household Waste Guide
| Select a topic: |
Drywall
Gypsum wallboard is one of the largest waste components in residential construction. The United States produces approximately 15 million tons of new drywall per year. Approximately 12 percent of new construction drywall is wasted during installation. Most drywall waste is generated from new construction (64 percent), followed by demolition (14 percent), manufacturing (12 percent), and renovation (10 percent). The National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC) estimates scrap wallboard is 26 percent by weight of new home construction waste. For a 2,000 square foot home, this equates to about 1.5 tons of material or about half a dump truck load.
Waste drywall is regulated in Michigan as a construction and demolition waste under Part 115, Solid Waste Management, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended, and its administrative rules. An exemption was developed in 2003 that approves the use of drywall that has been processed to less than ¼ inch in size if it is at land applied at agronomic rates or added to compost at a rate less than 2.5 percent of the compost mixture. The exemption conditions can be found here.
Any other uses would require specific approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Waste and Hazardous Materials Division.
Phoenix Resources (616) 891-9110
10313 Morse Lake Avenue, Alto
Accepts unpainted gypsum wallboard scrap from new construction.
Spurt Industries (616)
688-5575
10200 Pease Avenue, Caledonia
