Ever wonder how large scale debris and recycling removal actually happens? For those of us who don't have access to a personal bulldozer, the answer is usually one arm-load at a time. For large scale projects such as re-roofing, major remodeling, and brush clearing, those arm-loads add up quickly. The simplest way to get rid of large piles of debris is to rent a dumpster or rolloff container.

If the waste removal would require multiple runs to the landfill with a small vehicle, renting a container quickly becomes a better use of fuel, time and money. The extra bonus is that using a rolloff dumpster can also be the better choice for the environment. Responsible lot cleanup includes recycling waste in ways that do not further clog our nation's landfills. Most people are aware that organic materials like lumber, brush, stumps and tree limbs can be ground or chipped into landscape mulch or other wood products.

Many other inorganic materials commonly found at construction sites can also be recycled. Environmental recycling is easy to initiate at this phase of debris removal because waste material can be collected into specialized containers. Concrete can be recycled into rock aggregate and gravel. After the concrete is broken up, it is usually screened so that the individual pieces have a relatively uniform size.

If you recycle, it's possible that one inch chunks of your old patio might someday be used as back fill for a retaining wall at a botanical garden. Or perhaps three inch rocks made from your old sidewalk might be used as a rocky tracking pad at a new construction site. These pads help heavy trucks clean the mud from their tires before entering the highway. Most throw away items can see new life in an entirely new product.

By weight, asphalt is the most recycled material in the United States today. The EPA reports that 80% of the asphalt that is removed during resurfacing projects is being recycled. Old asphalt is reused to build new roads, roadbeds, shoulders and embankments. Interestingly, when reclaimed asphalt is used as the aggregate in an asphalt mix, the new surface often has a longer life than if the area had been paved using all virgin material.

Tire recycling has a lot of benefits. A small percentage of tires are reprocessed by using ultrasound, microwaves, or heat to break them down into reusable compounds. However, most tires are reused in their tough vulcanized state. Some are also shredded or ground up into rubber aggregate, crumbs, or mulch. Shredded tire nuggets are popular for use on playgrounds and in equestrian arenas.

When waste materials are recycled, your good deeds do not end with trash removal and a better looking landscape. Recycling continues to benefit society, the economy and the environment through lower transportation and manufacturing and costs. This in turn puts less stress on established eco-systems by reducing the release of additional pollutants into our environment. Yes indeed, large scale debris and recycling removal happens one specialized dumpster at a time.