Infrastructure Trends that Will Create Recycling Opportunities
Lots of debris is created when older buildings are renovated, demolished, or replaced. That debris, which is usually carted away and discarded, can contain precious metals in the following forms . . .
Air conditioners, fixtures, and other electronic items that are being discarded contain small amounts of gold in their circuit boards.
Buildings with central air conditioning and heating systems typically contain thermocouple wires, which can contain silver and even small amounts of platinum.
Hospitals and medical buildings can contain equipment – everything from computers to old x-ray machines – that contain gold.
Trends that Are Causing Buildings to Be Demolished, Renovated, or Replaced
These trends promise to cause a new wave of building-related activities that will create opportunities to obtain scrap precious metals.
The Infrastructure Bill
If this bill is implemented, the result could be largescale demolition, updating, and replacement of thousands of older buildings across the United States. As we noted in a post on this blog recently, transit and other systems are likely to be updated and/or replaced too. The result? Be on the lookout for electronics and thermocouples.
Repurposing of Buildings
Older buildings are being converted to serve new purposes. Shopping malls are being converted to become housing units, amazingly. Large “big brick” retail stores are being divided up into multiple retail spaces. Hotels are being converted to condominiums or rental apartments. And remember, every renovation will create scrap that can contain recyclable metals.
The Conversion of Office Buildings to Serve Other Purposes
During the Covid-19 pandemic, lots of Americans worked from home. And now that the pandemic is subsiding, many people will continue to do so. The result is that, according to some estimates, as much as 20% of office space in the U.S. is now vacant, an increase of more than 12% over the course of the pandemic.
One result of this trend will be that older, now-unused office space will be converted to serve other purposes. Another is that companies will renovate and rent out the space they no longer need on an as-needed basis to other companies. The result of all this repurposing and renovation? Again, debris and scrap that could contain quantities of precious metals.
A New Urban Exodus
During the pandemic many people discovered they no longer needed to work in cities – they could work from home. Some people moved away from cities into suburbs or even to rural areas beyond commuting distance from their employers.
As those urban expatriates settle down and begin to work in their new locations, it seems likely that new buildings, and new kinds of buildings, will be built so they can work in offices near home. We are entering an era when employees from different companies will start to work together under the same roof in new kinds of shared buildings. The result? A lot of renovation, demolition, and new construction too.
Are You Collecting Scrap from Demolitions or Renovations?
Call us and tell us what kind of scrap you have, and what you think you will be collecting in the future. Let’s make a plan for recycling your precious metal scrap for top dollar. Contact us at 800-426-2344.
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