Construction & Demolition

Demolition

Several companies in the Westchester County area offer general recycling services for a wide variety of materials generated through demolition.  The table below is  representative, but not exhaustive.  Generally, these companies charge a small fee for collection. Some accept commingled waste materials as long as hazardous materials are not included. Note that scrap metal in particular can be quite valuable – copper can be sold for up to $5 per pound, brass for $2.50 a pound and aluminum for $1 per pound. Prior to using any of the companies below, it is best to call them to be sure that they still accept the materials of interest.

Build

During the build phase, there may be large amounts of packaging from new windows, doors and appliances. These can be recycled as follows:

• Cardboard Packaging
  Can be left on the curb per the Village of Irvington recycling instructions and calendar

• Plastic Bags and Packaging
  Not collected by the Village of Irvington, but can be recycled at local supermarkets.  For example Stop and Shop on White Plains Road offers plastic bag recycling

• Styrofoam and Other Plastic Packaging Materials
  These should not be placed in your recycling bin. However, packaging outlets such as Mail Boxes Etc. and The UPS Store, located throughout Westchester County, do take back Styrofoam, bubble wrap and other packaging materials. Visit www.earth911.com and enter the search terms "packing peanuts" and "other packing materials" to find the location closest to you.

• Plastic Buckets; paint, grout, joint compound, etc.
  Can be recycled through the Village of Irvington curbside pickup if they are cleaned and metal components separated

• Surplus Materials
  After your remodel is complete, any surplus materials can be offered for sale or donation on  Amazon Marketplace, Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Craigs List  or other sites

• Hazardous Materials
  Solvent, paints, glues, cleaning chemicals and other hazardous materials can be disposed of at the Household Material Recovery Facility (H-MRF) in Valhalla, New York.

Sustainable Choices

A remodeling or home modernization project is a good time to consider the sustainability of the new features you will add to the building and perhaps to make changes to reduce carbon footprint.  With large Federal and State incentives to upgrade to high – efficiency heat pumps and to install solar panels, for example, these steps can be relatively inexpensive.  Each dwelling will be different, and this is not an exhaustive database, but below are some key points to consider if you wish to make sustainable choices for your remodel.

• High efficiency heat pumps to replace outdated air conditioning units and gas burning heaters for home heating and water heating.  There are both Federal and NY State tax incentives for these upgrades

• Solar panel installation.  There are generous Federal and NY State tax incentives for the installation of a solar energy system, and ConEd of NY operates a net metering scheme whereby any excess energy produced creates a credit that is deducted from the next month’s bill.  With careful design, a solar power system can greatly reduce annual electricity costs.

• Eliminate gas from the dwelling

• Attic and wall insulation upgrades

• Metal or cement board sidings rather than vinyl

• Metal or stone roof rather than tar shingle

• Wood flooring rather than vinyl

• High efficiency windows (NY State and Irvington insulation codes must be met when installing new windows)

There is a growing community of Irvington residents who have, as far as possible, ‘decarbonized’ their homes.  For more information, contact John Cossins at jwcin58(at)gmail.com