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When
this column last addressed gypsum panel recycling in 2016, the focus
was on development of an ASTM standard designed to facilitate
closed-loop recycling of clean cutoffs from new construction. Four years
later, ASTM C1881 Standard Guide for Closed-Loop Recycling of Scrap Gypsum Panel Products
was published. Just in case readers are unaware, a four-year timeline
for ASTM standard development is hardly unusual. However, moving into
the third year of the standard’s existence, the conversation around
gypsum panel recycling has shifted as diverse stakeholders struggle to
identify plausible scenarios for greater recycling of clean scrap.
The
universe of gypsum recycling stakeholders is quite varied and includes
state government officials who wield oversight authority, waste
management officials concerned about their operations, sustainability
professionals anxious to garner additional LEED points, gypsum panel
manufacturers expected to accept scrap, and construction and demolition
businesses, to name a few. Add to the group associations representing
various players—like the Gypsum Association and the Construction and
Demolition Recycling Association—and the list of stakeholders remains
far from complete. After all, building owners, consumers, and general
and specialty contractors also will be affected by the shift from
landfilling drywall scrap to recycling it. More and different work will
be expected of manufacturers and contractors. Owners and consumers will
likely be expected to help pay for it.