From rowhouse renovations to large-scale development, construction activity reshapes Philadelphia every day. But what happens to the materials left behind after a building project? Construction and demolition debris, from wood and drywall to metal and concrete, is one of the city’s largest waste streams and one of its most powerful opportunities to build circular systems. How these materials are handled after they leave a job site shapes everything from building costs and landfill reliance to whether materials are properly managed or illegally dumped.

In this episode, Candice Lawton and Sam Wittchen take listeners inside the fast-moving, behind-the-scenes world of construction and demolition material recovery. They speak with Alan Burns of Richard S. Burns & Company about what it takes to run a high-throughput, multi-generation recycling operation and how Burns has designed and built its own equipment and processing innovations to increase material recovery rates and keep resources in circulation at scale. The conversation continues with Fern Gookin, Director of Sustainability at Revolution Recovery, who explains how her team tackles some of the region’s most challenging mixed loads, processes thousands of tons of debris each day and builds the downstream partnerships that turn recovered materials into reliable circular outcomes.

As development continues across Philadelphia, this episode highlights why construction and demolition waste sits at the center of the city’s circular economy potential and how innovation, infrastructure and collaboration are reshaping what happens to the built environment after demolition day.

Featured

Richard S. Burns & Company A second-generation, Philadelphia-based construction material recycling facility serving contractors across the region. Burns & Company receives, sorts and processes construction and demolition debris, recovering wood, metal, concrete and other materials for reuse and recycling. The company has developed proprietary processing equipment and technologies to increase recovery rates and reduce reliance on landfill disposal. Learn more at burnscompany.net.

Revolution Recovery A regional leader in construction and demolition recycling, Revolution Recovery specializes in processing mixed C&D loads and separating materials into high-value recovery streams. Their work keeps thousands of tons of debris in circulation each day while strengthening downstream markets and local recycling infrastructure. Learn more at revolutionrecovery.com.

To learn more about the circular economy and support Circular Philadelphia’s work to transform waste and resource systems for all, visit circularphiladelphia.org.

Before a vintage lamp shows up at a thrift store or a theater flat gets reused in a new production, somebody had to get it there. That's the part of the circular economy people don't always see: the physical work of salvage.

Someone has to be willing to walk into an estate that needs to be cleared in two weeks, a building scheduled for demo, or a theater where sets are about to be trashed. Someone has to see past the mess and the inconvenience to the value that can be unlocked when materials are used again.

The episode starts with George Mathes of Thunderbird Salvage, who traces his path from a childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist sparked by finding an arrowhead, to building a business that treats estate clean-outs like excavation sites. For George, salvage is archaeology: uncovering objects with history, understanding their value and deciding what should be preserved. He describes the reality of managing an endless stream of materials from estates, commercial spaces and architectural sites from vintage textiles and oddities to Christmas décor and what it takes to keep materials in circulation instead of letting them become waste.

The episode then turns to Philadelphia Scenic Works, where salvage happens on a different scale. This nonprofit intercepts entire stage worlds – flats, props, platforms – before they're demolished after closing night. They provide the warehouse space, the organizational systems, and the skilled labor that allow theaters and schools to share resources instead of building from scratch and trashing everything when the curtain falls.

Salvage isn’t passive. It requires infrastructure, time and people willing to do the work most people never see. That effort is what turns reuse from a niche idea into a functioning market

Featured:

George Mathes is the founder of Thunderbird Salvage, a Philadelphia-based operation that sits at the intersection of material recovery, history, and logistics. Through estate transitions, commercial closures, and architectural changeovers, George and his team step in at moments when buildings and belongings are about to disappear. Thunderbird Salvage turns those moments into opportunities by extracting, sorting, and redistributing materials through a system built for reuse rather than disposal. Follow their work at @thunderbirdsalvage.

Philadelphia Scenic Works demonstrates what circularity looks like in practice by treating stage scenery as shared assets, not disposable outputs. Through material recovery, warehousing and coordination, they enable repeated use of scenic resources for theaters, schools and arts organizations while cutting waste and production costs.

To learn more about the circular economy and support Circular Philadelphia’s work to transform waste and resource systems for all, visit circularphiladelphia.org.

On any given weekend in Philly, you’ll spot it: racks rolling out onto sidewalks, thrift pop-ups in cafés, people digging for treasures in vintage bins. What looks like a trend is actually something bigger – thousands of Philadelphians taking part in the circular economy without even realizing it.

This episode, hosts Candice Lawton and Sam Wittchen explore what really happens to our clothes once we’re done with them – and why textile “recycling” is far more complicated than it sounds. Former textile recycler (and now Circle Compost co-founder) David Bloovman explains how donated clothing is sorted, resold, downcycled into rags, or shredded into fiber, and how fast fashion has overwhelmed every step of the process.

Then we turn to Philly businesses offering better ways to keep clothing in use. At Another Chance, owner Holly Heenan shows how consignment extends the life of quality pieces while supporting local makers. And on Fabric Row, Stitch and Destroy founder Haven DeAngelis demonstrates how upcycling, clothing swaps, and sewing skills transform damaged or unwanted textiles into one-of-a-kind garments – proving that our closets can be powerful tools for change.

​​After this episode, one thing becomes clear: keeping clothing in circulation isn’t just a personal choice – it strengthens local businesses, cuts down on textile waste, and helps build a more resilient, reuse-driven Philly.

Featured:

David Bloovman is the founder of Circle Compost and the former president of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association. With over a decade of experience in textile recycling, David offers insight into clothing collection systems, sorting pathways, fiber recovery, and how fast fashion has strained existing recycling markets.

Holly Heenan is the owner of Another Chance, a consignment and local-creators boutique in Fishtown that keeps pre-loved fashion in circulation while supporting neighborhood makers and shoppers. Learn more on Instagram at @anotherchance_fishtown.

Haven DeAngelis is the founder of Stitch and Destroy, an upcycled alternative fashion brand and storefront on Fabric Row. Using textile waste, vintage pieces, and deadstock, Stitch and Destroy creates one-of-a-kind garments, hosts clothing swaps and workshops, and showcases work from local reuse-focused artists. Learn more at stitchanddestroy.com.

To learn more about the circular economy and support Circular Philadelphia’s work to transform waste and resource systems for all, visit circularphiladelphia.org.