New West Gypsum Recycling (NWGR) began operations in the mid 80's, when the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) in British Columbia, Canada banned the disposal of drywall waste from its landfill sites. In an effort to assist manufacturers, applicators and wholesalers, a means of recycling waste drywall was sought to comply with this regulation. While operating a construction materials waste and disposal company, NWGR founders Tony and Gwen McCamley, began experimenting with ways to grind and concentrate gypsum drywall waste. Over time, they developed a process that pulverizes the gypsum core and removes nearly all of the backing paper, leaving recycled gypsum ready for re-use. NWGR began working with Vancouver-based gypsum board plants on a pilot program to determine the effects of mixing recycled gypsum material with virgin gypsum material in their production runs. The end result provided a responsible and efficient means of handling plant production and market waste. The recycled product became an immediate, readily available raw material source for use in the manufacture of new drywall products. With the success of the pilot program, NWGR received contracts to recycle thousands of tons of scrap and waste wallboard material. NWGR overcame industry concerns about quality by developing innovative systems and processes designed to pulverize and clean waste gypsum. NWGR's processes have continued to be refined and now reduces the paper content less than one percent. It also solved the problem of high moisture content in recyclable drywall. During the early 90’s, NWGR expanded into Eastern Canada and the United States. Since 1990, the company has expanded its processing capabilities and developed methods of recycling the paper backing for re-use in many different applications. NWGR continues to promote the value of recycling as a cost-effective and economically viable part of the drywall manufacturing and installation process worldwide.
