"With these two programs, we're helping to divert thousands of tons of waste from landfills and reusing it for wallboard and ceiling panel production, while also helping our customers and others lower their waste disposal fees," said David Wonnell, director, Environmental and Manufacturing Services at USG.
USG was the first wallboard manufacturer to contract with GRA's parent company, Gypsum Recycling International, to purchase reprocessed gypsum for the production of new wallboard.
GRA's first facility, located in Cambridge, Mass., started collecting new-construction wallboard scrap in March. This fall, the scrap will be processed by a patented new mobile recycling machine. The machine then converts the material into a gypsum powder that USG's plant in Charlestown, Mass., will reuse in making new wallboard.
GRA's Cambridge recycling facility can process a permitted capacity of 60,000 tons of recycled gypsum a year. As GRA expands in the Northeast, USG's plants in Stony Point, N.Y., and Baltimore, will also purchase the reprocessed gypsum. Massachusetts was chosen as GRA's first site because of the state's strong interest in gypsum recycling.
USG customers can now recycle pre-approved ceiling panels made by USG or other manufacturers and, once customers have a full truckload, USG will pay the way. The company's Ceiling Panel Recycling Program accepts panels from the continental U.S. and areas of Canada, and is as simple as stacking, wrapping and calling for a ride. USG will reuse the recycled panels to manufacture new ceiling products. The company already recycles and reuses ceiling panels that are damaged during manufacturing. Many of the company's ceiling panels also use recycled paper and contain mineral wool made of slag, a byproduct of steel production.
Customers interested in recycling ceiling panels should contact their local sales representative. New England-area businesses interested in recycling new gypsum wallboard scrap should contact USG's Sandy Mulkern atsmulkern@usg.comor Jack Walsh atjw@gypsumrecycling.us.
