When thinking about demolition, asset recovery should be at the forefront of any company’s decision-making process. Many facilities, commercial and industrial, have machinery, equipment, metals and more that are recoverable. Demolition asset recovery turns these assets into positive capital to help offset demolition costs. There are several steps in addition to asset recovery that should also be taken, as we outline below.
1. Asset Recovery
Asset recovery involves identifying, removing, and selling any valuable materials in a demolition project. Every building has its own hidden valuable resources. For instance, support timbers may be sold to wood restoration specialists. Plumbing and lighting fixtures, industrial equipment, and even roofing material may also be reused, among many other building parts.
Demolition asset recovery has three main stages: idle asset identification (figuring out which assets are available), redeployment (using some materials for other purposes) and divestment (selling materials which are not usable on site). For instance, after crushing concrete from a demolition project, we first offer the resulting fill to the client for use on location. Remaining gravel may be sold to offset demolition costs.
Here are a few other industrial assets that may be redeployed or sold during asset recovery:
- Industrial equipment and machinery
- Electrical switch gears and other parts
- Rolling stock (basically anything on wheels)
- Furniture and fixtures
The bottom line? When carrying out industrial demolition, Arizona to Maine, the best contractors will recover as much as possible, thereby earning back significant amounts for their clients. For instance, $3 million of assets were recovered from the deconstruction of a Proctor & Gamble paper pulp mill in Pennsylvania.
2. Hazardous Materials Removal
Yesterday’s environmental standards were less stringent. As such, many older buildings, including industrial plants, contain dangerous materials that must be handled with extreme caution. For instance, asbestos was widely used in construction just a few decades ago, but we now understand that asbestos exposure can be fatal.
After recovering as many assets as possible, industrial demolition contractors remove hazardous materials as per national and local law. Each state has its own way of dealing with these toxic materials from industrial demolition. Montana, for instance, recently upgraded their asbestos removal permitting process to allow for online permit applications.
3. Scrap Metal Demolition
After the rest of a building has been torn away, the steel structural “skeleton” remains. Recycling scrap metal not only minimizes the amount of virgin materials required for new projects—it can also bring financial returns. Different cities and states pay different amounts for scrap metal recovered from industrial demolition. Colorado pricing, for instance, may not be mirrored elsewhere.
Yes, industrial demolition does include some destruction of building structures, but it also involves asset recovery and recycling. As one of the West Coast’s leading industrial demolition contractors, we’d be honored to partner with you on all stages of the demolition process.
[Photo by downeym via CC License]