Who We Are
At Richard S. Burns & Company Inc., we are passionate about sustainability, recycling, and promoting a “reduce, reuse, recycle” lifestyle. Our facility started as a one-person operation in the 1960s and has since developed into a 60+ employee, thirteen-acre compound where we handle over 1,500 pounds of non-hazardous waste and materials only. Additionally, we are Philadelphia’s only comprehensive waste recycling and recovery facility.
What is the Difference Between Commercial and Residential Waste?
Commercial recycling is waste from businesses or places used for recreation or entertainment. Whereas residential waste is the everyday materials and trash discarded from households, domestic residences, and so on. According to RecoverUSA, “While the U.S. produces around 236 million tons of municipal solid waste every year, the numbers for industrial waste are far less clear. Some estimates go as high as 7.6 billion tons of industrial waste produced every year.”
What Do We Recycle?
At Richard & Burns, we are open 6 days a week to make recycling even more convenient for you and your business. At our facility, we recycle non-hazardous materials only including concrete, plastics, cardboard, tile, brass, glass, porcelain, iron, aluminum, wood, copper, wallboard, brick, and demolition waste. We also utilize both dumpster services and Tommy carts for loading up materials at any job site. The dumpsters come in varying sizes of 10, 20, and 30 cubic yard sizes, and the Tommy carts are conveniently sized as well. We can either deliver our dumpsters to you or you can bring them into our facility once they are full.
The following are materials we do not accept:
- Asbestos
- Closed Containers
- Flammable Materials
- Fuel Oil
- Hazardous Materials
- Liquids
- Medical Waste
- Mercury Thermostats
- Open Paint Cans, full or partially full
- Propane Tanks
- Radioactive Materials
- Solvents
- Tires
Pricing by Waste Type:
| Material | Rate | Minimum |
| Clean Fill | $60.00 per ton | $60.00 |
| Clean Plasterboard * | $80.00 per ton | $80.00 |
| Clean Wood * | $80.00 per ton | $80.00 |
| Construction, Demolition and Waste | 20.00 per ton |
00.00 |
| Mattresses | 50.00 per ton |
50.00 |
Why is Recycling Important?
Recycling not only helps support and sustain the environment, but also reduces the amount of materials sent to landfills, conserves energy, and reduces pollution. According to RecoverUSA, “Americans throw away 25 million plastic bottles per hour.” Also, “Paper and cardboard make up the majority of industrial waste products. This means that the average company can make a big impact simply by establishing a paper and cardboard recycling program.” If each of us does our part to recycle in our homes and businesses, we can make a significant impact.
Ready-to-Use Materials
Part of our reuse and recycle process is creating ready-to-use materials that can be resold. We also have our own patented cover product for landfill use called Barrier. On our website, you will find the complete listing of recycled products for sale and more information about them.
These materials include the following:
- 2A Modified Crushed Concrete
- Aluminum, Brass, Copper (non-Ferrous Metals
- Cardboard
- Cobble Stones / Belgian Blocks
- Gypsum / Wallboard
- Hardfill materials: Brick, Block, Concrete (With or Without Rebar)
- Iron (Ferrous Metals)
- Plastics, Tile, Porcelain, Glass
- Wood
For more information, please visit our website at burnscompany.net or call us at 215-324-6377.
