Do you like giant landfills? We don’t, either. That’s why at Buzz Custom Fence we love November 15, America Recycles Day. This obscure but important national day was first celebrated in 1997, and is renewed every year by presidential proclamation. And if you missed World Recycling Day on July 8, this is your chance to catch up!
Keep America Beautiful
Back in 1953, a group of Americans who cared about clean, beautiful spaces started the nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful. Here’s its mission statement: “To inspire and educate people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment.”
At Buzz, we get behind that mission 100 percent!
Keep America Beautiful has more than 600 community-based affiliates and millions of volunteers. They’re the force behind creating America Recycles Day.
Improved Recycling Rate
All this education and inspiration about beautifying our country has paid off. Over the past 30 years, the recycling rate has steadily increased. It’s now at 34 percent, according to the America Recycles Day website. But we can do even better!
Recycling Fence Materials
Did you know that many fence materials are recyclable? Wood and metal can easily be reused rather than packed off to the landfill.
Depending on where you live, you might have several options.
- You can try to get some money for your old fencing materials
- You can pay somebody to haul it off
- You might find an enterprising recycler willing to haul it off for free
In the Dallas area, we know of a few. CMC Recycling accepts scrap metal from individuals and businesses. They pay $1.75 per 100 pounds of chain link fence. Yeah, we know, that’s not a big financial motivator if you’re just removing your home fence. But again, it’s worth a lot to keep recyclable goods out of the landfill.
DFW Appliance collects scrap metal from home and business owners and property management companies. The company offers a free pickup service for a long list of items you might want to get rid of, including washers, dryers, computers, fitness equipment, water heaters and some fencing materials. They have a contact form on their website which you can fill out to learn of their current recycling opportunities.
Although United Recycling Company is clear across the country in Washington State, we love their list of things they recycle from building sites – plaster, drywall, wooden fencing, and the entire house or building that is demolished. That’s the true spirit of America Recycles Day!
Don’t Forget the Hobbyists
Wood fencing is special. As the only 100% recyclable, renewable, reusable and biodegradable resource, it has many possibilities. If your wood is in decent condition, somebody can make it into birdhouses, planter boxes, garden stakes, doghouses or a ton of other decorative and/or useful things. Do you know of any artists, hobbyists or woodshop classes that could use your old fence?
If you need more suggestions about fence recycling or want to talk about a possible new project, call us today! We love to talk about every aspect of fencing – from construction to recycling.
Photo courtesy of Tom Magliery on Flickr
