What to do with masonry debris?
GBA Editor
| Posted in Green Building Techniques on
I hate putting masonry debris in the dumpster. It’s heavy, wasteful and expensive to dispose of, and I think it can be put to use on site.
I’ll always stack any brick that is still in good shape, so it can be used for later project, but what I’m refereing to broken peices of brick and block.
There are two ideas I had:
1) dig a hole somewhere on site and dump all the excess masonry there, lowering dumpster costs and landfill demands.
2) re-use the debris as drainage rock, akin to clean stone, around waterproofing systems or french drains.
Would you feel comfortable using crumbled or broken brick in these situations?
-Aaron
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Replies
Aaron,
As long as the debris is clean — not contaminated with anything weird — your suggestion is fine. Other possibilities:
1. Fill for a dry well.
2. Fill for low spots on your property.
3. Base for a future road or driveway.
4. Pile it somewhere where people can see it, with a sign that says "Free clean fill."
The larger your property, the more likely you are to have somewhere to put it.