CDRA Member Spotlight: F&G Recycling

F&G Recycling in Waterbury, CT

What materials do you recycle? Can you describe the volume and types of incoming materials you process?

F&G Recycling, LLC (F&G) processes construction and demolition materials at 4 locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. These facilities mechanically process the C&D to remove wood, ABC rubble, metal (ferrous and non-ferrous), fiber, shingles, and drywall. 

During 2022 the facilities processed over 150,000 tons of C&D and sent over 50,000 tons to be reused.

 

How did you get started in the business?

F&G has been processing C&D in Connecticut since the 1990s when ownership saw the potential to reduce disposal and increase recycling by installing a C&D processing system at the company transfer station in East Windsor, CT. This facility is still operating today with upgrades and additions over the years to keep up with the changing markets. 

What are the biggest challenges in your market and C&D recycling?

  • Reliable Markets/End Users for the recyclables. For example, in 2022 the largest consumer of recycled wood in our area went down with mechanical issues and has not been able to accept recycled wood. This has put a tremendous strain on the wood markets in the northeast and has reduced the amount of wood that was recycled during this time.
  • Limited technological advances in C&D Processing Equipment. F&G has been processing C&D since the early 1990s and the processing system design then has not changed much over 30 years. There has been much innovation in the processing industry for other recyclable materials such as single stream but little to no innovation for C&D Processing.
  • Increase regulation to increase recycling percentages. F&G supports and encourages more recycling for C&D materials but until there are more markets/end users and more innovation F&G does not see the ability to increase the amount recycled drastically.

Where are the biggest opportunities?

  • Customers want the C&D that they generate to be recycled and F&G can provide that service to them where others may not be able to.
  • Government taking the lead and requiring more use of recycled materials in government-funded projects. For example, very few states in the northeast utilize recycled asphalt shingles in the specifications for asphalt pavement used on state-owned roadways and parking lots. Utilization of at least some shingles in the mix would lead to thousands of tons of shingles from being sent for disposal each year.
  • Green credits, grant funds, and expedited permitted for the management of recycled wood. One of the most abundant recyclable materials in C&D is wood. With limited reliable outlets, the industry struggles to find places to send the wood we remove from the C&D. If there were more wood end markets the industry could make investments to allow for the removal of more wood but without dependable markets, it is hard to mark the additional investment.

How long have you been a member of CDRA?

F&G has been a member of the CDRA since 2007.

What inspired you to join CDRA?

It is very important to be part of industry work groups and associations such as CDRA. There is much that can be learned from others in the same industry. Visiting the facilities of members allows us to learn from them and take away ideas that we may not have thought of before and also avoid mistakes they have made as well.

In addition, as a family-owned business, we may not have the voice that larger public companies may have, and being part of the CDRA gives us the ability to be part of a larger group that may be more likely to be seen and heard by government agencies.

What do you find most rewarding about working in this industry?

As a company, we are nothing without our employees and the hard work and dedication that they show each and every day throughout our company. We appreciate each and every employee and see all of them as part of our family.

In 2021 we were voted one of the Best Places to Work in Connecticut by the Hartford Business Journal. 

What challenges have you faced over the years and how have you overcome them?

As with every business, there have been many challenges, none more than the COVID pandemic. As an essential business, we needed to stay operational throughout the pandemic which required our teams to come together and come up with solutions in order to operate our business while keeping everyone safe. Everyone worked together and we were able to operate throughout and provide the essential services our customers needed safely. 

How do you think the industry is changing and what trends do you see coming up on the horizon?

With the closing of most of the landfills in the northeast, disposal is becoming harder to find with each passing year, and disposal that is available is 1,000’s miles away. This limited disposal capacity should drive increased recycling of C&D and pave the way for new end markets and innovative approaches to processing C&D such as optical sorting, robotic sorting, and AI.

What advice would you give to someone interested in this industry?

Join industry associations such as the CDRA and ask a lot of questions of its members. They have many years of experience and have made many mistakes that you will not need to make as you get started.

Best piece of business advice you’ve gotten or learned over the years?

Invest in your employees they are the heart of your business success.


 

Would you like to have your company featured in a spotlight like this? Contact CDRA Executive Director Becky Caldwell at [email protected]

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