Fact: the old methods of quarrying, transportation and fabrication lose up to 90% of the rock removed from the quarry, from excavation to building site.
Fact: 30% of that is lost in the fabrication shop, averaging $5,000 per month in product, which may end up in a landfill. With the additional cost of $200-$300 per container, fabricators could be spending from $1,200 to $2,400 each month to have this material hauled off.
These seem like high figures, but steps are being taken to improve these statistics. One business taking these steps is Waste to Value, producer of the Tomahawk Stone Splitter, which meets LEED requirements by reclaiming otherwise wasted building materials. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system for "green" construction, established in 1998, which created the Green Building Rating System. This system defines the standards for responsible, healthier structures. Among the points awarded to new construction and major renovation are categories such as Energy and Materials. This includes those businesses that help save energy and reduce waste by recycling materials.
A brand-new invention, the Tomahawk is designed to utilize the scrap stone found in every fabricator's workshop. It splits measured sections of leftover stone slab material. These precision pieces can be stacked, laid or clad with mortar, creating a stunning chiseled wall, or laid out flat to produce remarkable backsplashes, flooring and paving.
The big benefit of the Tomahawk, which is being marketed and distributed by Braxton-Bragg LLC, is being able to use the scrap in the fabricator's own workshop to create entirely new products and a new market for designers utilizing natural stone applications.
The idea seems simple; but simple ideas are often the most brilliant. With the recent improvement of all aspects of the harvesting and fabrication of natural stone, the cost of utilizing stone in building development is seeing a reduction. Because of this, the amount of stone used in the construction industry in the past ten years has greatly increased. The use of stone itself already reduces the amount of energy consumption and greenhouse emissions generated by the building industry; by finding additional ways to reduce waste, such as using the Tomahawk to repurpose what would inevitably end up in landfills, we can further slow the wear and tear on the planet.
Waste to Value is dedicated to offering real innovation and assistance to the building industry and helping the industry to use recycled granite and build green. There is an increased awareness of the importance of recycling in the stone industry and Mr. Louwrens Mulder is one of the first entrepreneurs to focus on enabling smaller shops to recycle natural stone, and fully utilize their investment in slabs and countertop materials. Mulder's Tomahawk invention is revolutionary and will help granite fabricators and builders to use granite waste as recycled products for cladding, paving and tiling surfaces. These "Green Stone" products will add real value to property.
For more information on the Tomahawk, call Braxton-Bragg toll free at 800-575-4401 or visit their website www.braxton-bragg.com
The Tomahawk provides key value and recycling technology that even small fabrication shops can afford. For more information about solid waste management at quarries and fabrication facilities, see the study prepared by University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products: Best Practices of the Natural Stone Industry, available as a PDF on the web at www.genuinestone.com/research and results.
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