Glossary

The process of home demolition that is frequently the preliminary step in a home improvement project. Before the new can come in, the old must go through destruction and removal of the current structure. In some cases, a remodeling company might handle the tear down process, but companies that specialize in the demolition process make it as safe and mess-free as possible. Tear down might involve a single element in a room, a full room or the entire building, depending on the scope of the project.

The process of reusing tires that are no longer appropriate for use on vehicles. Tire recycling has become a popular trend in recent years, as rubber mulch has become more practical in playgrounds, parks and residential landscaping. Tire recycling can also be used as an aggregate in asphalt pavement and concrete products. When tires are recycled, they do not take up space in landfills, where they create pollution into the environment by trapping methane gases.

Large machines that condense waste into smaller amounts for easier disposal. Smaller trash compactor devices may be found in homes, while larger, commercial machines are used by landfills and waste management facilities. Many different types of waste can be placed into a trash compactor, including dry garbage like paper and boxes and wet trash like food waste. Trash compactors are especially good at compressing large, bulky items, greatly limiting the amount of space they must take up in a landfill.