Zanker recycling

Zanker Recycling is a privately owned company that developed from a landfill into a resource management and recycling facility, located in San Jose, CA.

Early stages of the water-based screening system.

Company History

Zanker Recycling, owned and operated by Zanker Road Resource Mgt. LTD. , began operations in 1985 as a Class III landfill. In 1988, Zanker invented a water-based screening system that separated demolition waste into soil, concrete, metals, and wood. In 1998, Zanker designed and constructed a demolition debris recycling operation that processed unsorted demolition debris materials at the rate of 70 tons per hour. In the same year, Zanker began a construction and demolition (C&D) debris processing facility. In 2005, the company saw a different material that could not be processed through the older demolition recycling operation, which was referred to as interior demolition. This material is derived from the demolition of concrete from tilt-up buildings, common in the Silicon Valley. In 2014, Zanker and BHS started development of a type of demolition processing system, which deploys air classification technology.

Current Operations

Demolition Recycling In 2015, Zanker designed and constructed a new demolition recycling operation that consisted of patented combination of conveyors, screens, magnets and air separation equipment, which separates the materials into manageable products. These products are then directed to other recycling operations on site or shipped directly to end product users.^[1]

Demolition plant at Zanker Recycling.

Construction Recycling Zanker Recycling processes an extensive amount of mixed debris daily through a 240-foot long sorting conveyor system. The system is utilized is used to remove up to 16 products from the mixed waste stream. The sorting conveyor system includes elevated workstations, air separation units, disc screens and magnets. Below the sort line are bunkers, where material is stored and routed for additional on-site processing, or loaded and hauled to other approved recyclers.

Sheetrock Recycling Zanker Recycling also processes gypsum waste through gypsum recycling, where it is known as sheetrock recycling. Some of the material include plasterboards, drywall, and gyprock. In the recycling process, materials such as wood, metals, and trash are removed on-site.

Wood Waste Recycling The wood waste plan consists of an electric grinder and trammel screen, and a series of electrically powered feed, transfer, and stacking conveyors. The plant processes clean wood loads hauled by customers, which are separated from mixed debris by staff or removed from the demolition debris processing operation. The wood waste is ultimately ground and screened to create wood chips and wood fines. A pile of the wood waste is used for cogeneration fuel.

Concrete Recycling The concrete plant was one of the first in the nation to convert concrete debris into aggregate products, suitable for foundations and road construction. The recycling process beings with incoming clean concrete and reinforced concrete, where they are unloaded at the site.^[2] The cleaned concrete is loaded into a crusher, where the material passes under a belt magnet that removes steel. The material is then screened to remove oversized pieces. During the entire process, employees and machinery remove non-aggregate materials.

Division Companies

Z-Best The Z-Best Composting Facility (Z-Best) is a large-scale commercial compost facility that was built in 1997. The facility was permitted to receive an average of 1,500 tons per day of green/yard waste. In 2001, it was revised to include up to 600 tons per day of “in-vessel” municipal solid waste. As of 2016, the operation has 77 acres of land and is permitted to receive up to 1500 tons per day of both yard waste and municipal solid waste sources.

Florin Perkins In 2008, Zanker turned the old Florin Perkins Landfill into a demolition debris recycling operation in Sacramento. The site is specifically permitted to accept and process construction and demolition debris. Besides these materials, the site also accepts source-separated wood waste, sheet rock, concrete, soil, asphalt shingles, wood shingles and demolition debris.

Zanker Landscape Materials Zanker Landscape Materials began operations in 1985, where material that comes from the wood and concrete plants are converted into aggregate and organic products, such as compost, mulch, and base rock.

Customer Service

Zanker maintains more than 1,800 commercial account customers for its operations. Its outreach to customers focus on diversion rates and materials acceptance, which are usually in the form of LEED letters and what the company’s diversion rates are. Zanker also provides online reviews of all transactions at the facility, including photos incoming loads. Additionally, all operations have been third party certified for their diversion rates.

Awards and Recognition

In 2000, Zanker is awarded Environmental Enterprise of the Year from Acterra. Zanker is also awarded C&D Operation of the Year from CA Resource Recycling Association.

In 2005, Zanker is awarded C&D Recycling Facility of the Year from Construction Materials Recycling Association.

In 2016, Zanker recycling wins the SWANA excellence award for its 60 tons per hour demolition debris MRF.^[3] Zanker also wins Construction and Demolition Debris Recycler of the year.^[4]

References