C&D WORLD: Defend the Industry, Says NADC President

Leonard Cherry may be the president of the National Association of Demolition Contractors (NADC), but he considers himself equally as a recycler. “I have learned that recycling and demolition go hand-in-hand,” Cherry told attendees of the C&D World Conference & Exposition in New Orleans in late January.

But if that hand-in-hand relationship is going to continue, recyclers may have to fight some battles on several fronts, says Cherry. “The truth is, it’s getting more and more difficult to run a recycling plant,” he remarked.

Any new crushing plants operated by Cherry Crushed Concrete, Houston, a sister company to Cherry Demolition, will now be subject to a “quarter-mile” law passed in Texas mandating that crushers cannot be within one quarter-mile of a school, church or playground. “The law is similar to one applied to adult entertainment businesses,” Cherry wryly noted.

Adding that the Texas law provides an exception for crusher operators who also own landfills, and that similar laws have been proposed or passed in other states, Cherry urged recyclers to unite and take on the strong lobbying being done by the solid waste industry. “We believe there is a state-by-state movement by [solid waste companies] to re-take the revenue share they have lost to recyclers,” he stated.

“As a trade association and as an industry, I believe we need to urge the U.S. EPA produce a national standard removing state politics,” said Cherry.

He added that concrete and asphalt recyclers “have a good story to tell,” as every ton diverted from the landfill saves a ton of virgin materials. “Conveying that to state legislators seems to be a difficult task. We are not as financially savvy as our sometime opponents.”