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How to Recycle Construction
Building materials from construction and demolition: concrete, asphalt pavement, wood, drywall, brick, roofing, and related C&D debris. Sort by type and haul to a C&D yard, crusher, or specialty program. Not curbside.
18 materials covered15 recyclable
Concrete
Cured concrete from sidewalks, foundations, driveways, and demolition. EPA estimated about 405 million tons of C&D concrete generated in 2018, the largest C&D stream. Most next use is aggregate; clean loads grade higher than mixed rubble.
Learn how to recycle Concrete
Drywall
Gypsum wallboard (sheetrock) from new construction and renovation. EPA estimated about 15.2 million tons of C&D drywall and plaster in 2018. Landfill was the primary destination nationally; clean offcuts have the best chance at recovery.
Learn how to recycle Drywall
Wood/Lumber
Dimensional lumber, framing, plywood, and wood debris from building and demolition. EPA estimated about 40.8 million tons of C&D wood products in 2018. Landfill was the primary national destination; clean untreated wood has grind and reclaim markets where processors exist.
Learn how to recycle Wood/Lumber
Asphalt Shingles
Asphalt roofing shingles from tear-offs and new-construction scrap. EPA estimated about 15.1 million tons in 2018, with landfill as the primary destination. Specialty processors grind acceptable loads into RAS for hot-mix asphalt where plants and specs allow.
Learn how to recycle Asphalt Shingles
Metal Roofing
Steel and aluminum roofing panels, flashing, and trim from tear-off or leftover stock. EPA C&D steel generation was about 4.7 million tons in 2018, with relatively high next-use recovery compared with wood, gypsum, or shingles. Scrap yards buy the metal; reuse markets take sound panels when sizes match.
Learn how to recycle Metal Roofing
Insulation
Fiberglass, mineral wool, cellulose, and foam insulation from leftover stock or demolition. CDRA notes insulation is rarely recyclable once dirty or contaminated. Old homes may hide asbestos insulation that needs licensed handling.
Learn how to recycle Insulation
Brick
Clay brick from demolition, renovation, and leftover pallets. EPA estimated about 12.3 million tons of C&D brick and clay tile in 2018, with landfill primary and only a small aggregate next-use share. Intact brick has the best reuse value when deconstructed carefully.
Learn how to recycle Brick
Carpet/Flooring
Broadloom carpet, carpet tile, pad, and related flooring from renovation. Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) connects market-based collectors; California Carpet Stewardship has denser drop-offs. Multi-material face fiber plus latex or PVC backing limits what plants accept.
Learn how to recycle Carpet/Flooring
Vinyl Siding
PVC exterior siding panels, soffit, and trim from re-siding jobs and leftover stock. Rigid PVC recovery exists where markets or take-back programs operate, but post-consumer tear-off still often landfills. That is why this page marks vinyl siding as not routinely recyclable.
Learn how to recycle Vinyl Siding
Windows
Complete window units with glass and wood, vinyl, or aluminum frames. EPA's C&D hierarchy favors salvage and reuse before recycling. When units are broken, pull metal for scrap and handle glass as C&D. Coated and tempered glass does not belong in bottle recycling.
Learn how to recycle Windows
Doors
Interior and exterior doors in wood, steel, fiberglass, and hollow-core construction. Reuse is the main diversion path under EPA's salvage-first hierarchy. Material recycling is secondary and depends on whether the door is solid wood, metal, or mixed composite.
Learn how to recycle Doors
Plumbing Fixtures
Toilets, sinks, tubs, faucets, and related plumbing from remodels. Separate the metal from the porcelain. Reuse working fixtures when you can; scrap pays on copper and brass. Porcelain is not bottle glass.
Learn how to recycle Plumbing Fixtures
Asphalt
Hot-mix asphalt from roads, lots, and driveways. EPA estimated about 107 million tons of C&D asphalt concrete in 2018, with about 102 million tons directed to next use. Clean millings are the preferred feedstock. RAP is not RAS.
Learn how to recycle Asphalt
Installation
Job-site leftovers from installing HVAC, flooring, electrical, plumbing, and finishes. This page is a sorting guide for offcuts and packaging, not one material with a national tonnage rate. Clean source-separated scrap diverts; mixed adhesive trash does not.
Learn how to recycle Installation
Construction and Demolition Debris
Mixed debris from remodeling, demolition, roofing, and building work. Separate the load before it reaches a C&D yard.
Learn how to recycle Construction and Demolition Debris
PIR Insulation
Rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR or polyiso) building insulation boards, often faced with foil or paper. Collection depends on the product, condition, and specialist processor.
Learn how to recycle PIR Insulation
Ceramic Tile
New leftover and removed ceramic or porcelain floor, wall, and backsplash tiles, including tile attached to mortar or backer board.
Learn how to recycle Ceramic Tile
Pressure-Treated Wood
Deck boards, fence posts, landscape timbers, and other lumber preserved with chemical treatments, including older CCA-treated wood.
Learn how to recycle Pressure-Treated Wood
Guides, tools, and research
Continue from individual material instructions to the broader guide, calculator, or research page for this topic.
C&D recycling guide
Recovery routes for concrete, metal, wood, drywall, and fixtures.
Construction waste planning
Container placement, separation, scheduling, and documentation.
Concrete recycling
Separate clean concrete, rebar, and mixed rubble before hauling it to a C&D yard.
Drywall recycling
Keep clean, dry new-board scrap separate from painted, wet, or demolition drywall.
Wood and lumber
Sort untreated lumber from painted, stained, and pressure-treated wood.
Mixed C&D debris
Triage a renovation load before it reaches a facility, and keep asbestos, chemicals, and other hazards separate.
Waste diversion calculator
Measure the share of a project kept out of landfill.
Find construction recycling centers
Search recycling centers by city or ZIP, then call ahead to confirm they take construction.
Construction and demolition (C&D)
What C&D waste includes
Construction and demolition debris is a large share of landfill tonnage. Separate wood, metal, concrete, and drywall so a facility can take each stream.
- • Aggregates: Concrete, asphalt, bricks, stones
- • Wood: Lumber, pallets, plywood, chips
- • Metals: Steel, copper wiring, aluminum frames
- • Drywall: Gypsum board for agriculture or new wallboard
Benefits of Deconstruction
"Deconstruction" separates materials carefully for reuse, unlike demolition. It creates more jobs and recovers valuable architectural salvage.
Why sort C&D?
- • Cuts tipping fees, which run $40 to $100 per ton
- • Earns potential tax benefits for donated materials
- • Complies with local waste diversion ordinances
- • Conserves limited landfill space
Construction Recycling FAQ
Plan the strip-out before demolition so salvageable material comes off the site before mixed debris is loaded.
Can I recycle drywall?
Yes, if it is clean new-construction scrap. Gypsum recyclers take clean, dry, source-separated offcuts and reject wet, moldy, heavily painted, or demolition drywall. Test old finishes for lead or asbestos before removal, and keep drywall out of curbside carts and concrete piles.
How do I recycle concrete?
Take clean, cured concrete to a concrete recycler, aggregate yard, crusher, or C&D facility that accepts it. Rebar is often removed at the plant. Keep drywall, plaster, asphalt, wood, trash, and excess soil separate, and call ahead about size limits, fees, and resident rules.
What about treated wood?
Do not burn, mulch, compost, or place pressure-treated, creosote, or painted wood in a clean-wood stream. Disposal and recovery options vary by state and facility, so ask your local C&D or solid-waste program for an authorized route. Untreated lumber can often be reused or recycled separately.
Do I need to separate construction waste?
Yes. Mixed C&D loads carry the highest tipping fees. Separating metal, cardboard, wood, and masonry at the job site cuts those fees, and the scrap metal pile earns money.
Is it illegal to dump construction debris?
Yes. Illegal dumping carries heavy fines, and many cities attach a waste management plan to the building permit that sets how much debris must stay out of the landfill. Haul debris only to licensed facilities.
Can I recycle bricks?
Yes. Clean, whole bricks are worth the most as salvage for new projects. Broken bricks get crushed into landscaping chips and aggregate, the same way concrete does.