ForConstructionPros.com

Right for the times?

Contrary to what you might think, FDR is not cost prohibitive. The investment in a reclaimer/stabilizer has the potential to pay for itself quickly.

"From a contractor's standpoint, FDR is not a big capital outlay to get into and I think the process is going to continue to grow," says Valentine. "There are opportunities for guys to get into this business.

"I am just seeing recycling in general really coming more to the forefront than it has in the past," he says. "It has really played into this whole realization that we have to conserve, we have to recycle, we have to be eco-friendly. At least in the Western states where we bid work, the process is growing pretty rapidly."

He adds, "Aggregate prices and availability and oil prices really tip the scales from a cost standpoint where you can see some pretty substantial savings in some of these recycling processes."

Peter Martin, vice president - equipment, Brown & Brown Inc., Salina, KS, agrees. "I would think in this type of economy that reclamation would be on the upswing just because you spread those dollars over more miles and use what you have," he states. "One thing I would say positive about reclamation is you leave everything where it is. You don't haul it off and haul it back. There is a real savings there."