Work done by a recycling program in northern Vermont has gotten much easier with the acquisition of a new extension forklift and loader.

ReCycle North, of Burlington, VT, recently purchased a Terex 5119 that lets workers dismantle houses with less effort than when it was done all by hand.

In the competitive business of demolition and deconstruction, any advantage must be grabbed.

“We tried skid steers and larger extension forklifts. We tried an assortment of different types of equipment. We found that this one, because of its versatility, was the best match for us,” explained Rob Ricketson, program director of ReCycle North, a non-profit organization dedicated to deconstructing houses throughout the state.

Instead of simply knocking down structures, ReCycle North does so piece by piece. That way many parts of the building, whether trusses, beams or toilets, for example, can be saved and re-entered into the marketplace.

Before the organization bought the machine, it would take two weeks to deconstruct a house. Now, the time has been cut to just four days. Not only does it save time, workers aren’t as likely to hurt themselves hauling heavy loads.

The Terex uses its long extended arm to reach above the heads of workers and lower heavy parts of buildings to the ground. The end of the arm also can be used as a bucket to take loads of beams and bricks to other locations.

The non-profit organization is in the process of taking down 15 duplexes and garages on the campus of the University of Vermont in Burlington, which will soon be replaced by dormitories for 2,000 students.

ReCycle North recently demonstrated the benefits of the Terex.

ReCycle North worked with Woods CRW, of Williston, VT, to purchase it. Terex was the first piece of machinery to be studied, but Ricketson also wanted to look at the other brands. He spent five months researching the machines, but eventually returned to the first one he looked at, the Terex.

ReCycle North is now the only non-profit deconstructor in the country to own its own machinery.

“With the addition of the Terex, I think we’re taken more seriously,” Ricketson explained.

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