03/14/2026
It seems like there are some concerns in the neighborhood that I should probably address. Some misinformed people are commenting on our operation, voicing untrue information as fact. Of course, this is concerning because I try to run a legitimate operation when people read that your company is unlicensed. Claiming that we operate in the dead of night puts our operation in a bad light. No, trucks are not delivering wallboard or crushed material in the middle of the night. Our delivery hours are from 6 am to 6 pm, five days a week. I suppose this person could think that 6 am is the middle of the night. Yes, we have been operating under LC # INLA000731 as Roy's Recycling for 19 years.
If facts don't support your agenda, make up your own, I suppose. This agenda, which apparently aims to shut me down, seems well-intentioned but is unfortunately misguided.
Would you rather it all go into the landfill instead of being put to a beneficial use? Somebody explain that mentality to me. It is just unpleasant to look at in the short term, but the benefits outweigh that short-term effect.
I planted 5000 landscaping trees on both sides of the creek. I planted trees along the road to act as a fence, catching what little paper occasionally blows past, especially in 60-mile-per-hour winds. It hardly seems fair to post a video claiming the dust is blowing as if it's an average day, when in fact there are 60-mile-an-hour winds once or twice a year at most. That wind event blew over tractor-trailers on the highway. Even if I had it in a building, the possibility that the building could be blown down still exists; there's no 100% way to keep anything intact.
As for Ms. Simmons, the video claims that the dust on Friday the 13th probably helped us more than hurt us. If you watch the video, you can see that even in 60-mile-an-hour winds, the minute amount of dust is going towards Dan Newby's woods, not anyone's homes, and the worst of the dust blew down the driveway along with some paper. It needs to be removed, and it will be. The trees and grass benefit from the Gypsum, which is good for plants and good for the soil. I might send Dan a bill. J
As for dust getting to the creek, with all the trees between the creek and my operation, the fact that I don't operate on windy days, and the fact that half the summer crops dissipate wind, all contribute to preventing dust from reaching the creek. Doesn't reach them far except in your imagination.
Disposal options don't just affect me; there are the people who work at the drywall manufacturing plant. If they have to cease operations because they can't dispose of their (bad-run) and crushed product waste, the manufacturing plant will have no room for the good board.
That lack of storage for the manufacturer leads to layoffs and job losses, and at the very least, slow product production, affecting the supply chain and ultimately builders.
The farmers who have been depending on me for Gypsum for their spring planting season are unable to get the material they were counting on because I'm waiting to get into compliance with the air permit the IDEM is working on.
So far, this has cost me an estimated $45,000 in lost sales and fees. People who don't know what they're talking about spread rumors that this is somehow harmful and doesn't really help the crops and soil. Nonsense that they had no clue about this, but for some reason, they seem to be getting the attention. Meanwhile, I've worked in this business for 29 years, started scrapping houses in 1997, and started recycling drywall in 2006.
Let's mention tarping. We've tried that. It turns out that tarping the material traps moisture, even if it doesn't rain. Drywall is more absorbent than the ground. Hence, it pulls the moisture from the ground. It would simply evaporate through the pile, but it gets trapped by the tarp. You actually do get under a tarp. Drywall doesn't mold when left piled in the open sunlight and air, except for the occasional blowing of paper; crushed drywall stores well and isn't an issue beyond being unsightly.
We've actually experimented with tarping the wallboard. Turns out the paper the wallboard is made with and covered by keeps the drywall perfectly in place; it doesn't need a tarp. In fact, if you tarp it, you trap the moisture. We tarped a pile of drywall several years ago. We took the tarp off because it created more problems than it solved.
Paper-covered drywall is not going anywhere.
Please don't force me to do the wrong thing just because I have the best interests of the larger good for the environment.
This opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me—an opportunity to prevent this much drywall from going to landfill while also profiting. I wanted to feel good about this and have the money to pay off my farm and pay my debts so I can retire. I'm 72 years old. But instead, this could cause me to lose my grandfather's farm over something this temporary, an inventory that will be here in depleting amounts for the next 2 to 5 years. I don't think that's too much to ask. Consider what the plan gets in return: do you really want to fight to force 20,000 tons of drywall into a landfill where it will produce sulfur gas and mold? You want to force me to do the very thing that is the worst thing to do.
I have a chance to make enough money to pay off my debts to pay off my farm and retire with some dignity after all these years of work I started working on this farm for my grandfather when I was seven years old I've been doing this drywall recycling for 25 years an scrapping drywall for 29 years it's a lot of work to go to for this one opportunity.
