This is a good example of how a local forum would be helpful in identifying recycling obstacles and opportunities for builders. Clean waste gypsum board, after being ground, can be recycled into new drywall, used for some types of animal bedding, or applied as a soil amendment. Drywall manufacturing plants across the country are gradually gaining the technology for recycling construction site waste but few plants can currently take significant quantities. Some states allow agricultural uses of ground gypsum wallboard, some do not, and some have no stated policy. Research has been recently undertaken to determine the suitability of various agricultural uses of waste gypsum board, with results summarized in Appendix D of the Research Center's builder's field guide.
Corrugated cardboard is the most common building product packaging material.
Quantities are increasing as more and more building components are delivered to job sites as finished products. Although cardboard may not contribute much to the total weight, it can be as much as 30 percent of the total volume and, unconsolidated, can send your job-site dumpster to the landfill long before it is necessary. You can handle this material yourself, engage a non-profit organization such as the Boy Scouts of America, or see if a local hauler is interested. Vinyl and metal siding cut-off waste typically generated from a single home can be over 200 pounds. Although it does not represent a significant portion of your disposal costs, it is the only waste other than cardboard that your siding subcontractor generates.