Ceiling Tile Recycling: What Happens to Old Tiles

Every commercial renovation that includes new ceilings generates a pile of old tiles. A typical 10,000 SF office produces 400–500 tiles weighing around 3,000–4,000 pounds. That material has to go somewhere. For most projects, it goes into a dumpster and then a landfill. But recycling programs exist, and they're worth knowing about.

What Ceiling Tiles Are Made Of

Standard mineral fiber ceiling tiles contain:

• Mineral wool / slag wool — the primary fiber, made from recycled steel slag
• Perlite — a volcanic mineral that adds fire resistance and dimensional stability
• Recycled newsprint — the binder that holds the fiber matrix together
• Starch — additional binding agent
• Clay / calcium carbonate — fillers
• Paint / vinyl facing — the white surface you see

Most of these materials are inert and non-toxic. Ceiling tiles manufactured after 1980 don't contain asbestos (pre-1980 tiles need testing before removal — that's a different conversation). The tiles themselves aren't hazardous waste, but they take up landfill space and decompose slowly.

Armstrong's Ceiling Tile Recycling Program

Armstrong runs the largest ceiling tile recycling program in the industry. They accept old Armstrong mineral fiber tiles and recycle them into new tiles. The process:

1. Old tiles are collected on-site in designated bags or containers
2. Tiles ship to Armstrong's recycling facility (they have several locations)
3. Tiles are ground up, separated into component materials, and fed back into the manufacturing process
4. New tiles come out with up to 82% recycled content

The program is free for qualifying projects. Armstrong provides collection bags and arranges freight. The catch: only Armstrong mineral fiber tiles qualify (no fiberglass, no metal, no other brands), and the tiles can't be contaminated with asbestos, mold, or other hazardous materials.

We've used this program on several renovation projects. It works. The logistics take some coordination — you need to bag tiles separately from other demolition debris and store them until pickup — but it diverts real tonnage from the landfill and contributes to LEED credits.

USG/Knauf Recycling

USG (now Knauf) offers tile recycling on a more limited basis. Their program isn't as widely available as Armstrong's, and acceptance criteria vary by region. Contact your local USG rep to see if recycling is available for your project location.

What About Non-Recyclable Tiles?

Some tiles can't be recycled through manufacturer programs:

• Fiberglass tiles (different composition than mineral fiber)
• Metal ceiling panels (these are scrap metal — take them to a metal recycler)
• Tiles with asbestos content (pre-1980, requires abatement)
• Water-damaged or mold-contaminated tiles
• Tiles from non-participating manufacturers

For non-recyclable mineral fiber tiles, the landfill is currently the only option in most areas. Some general contractors are exploring using ground-up ceiling tile as soil amendment or fill material, but that's not standard practice yet.

LEED Credits for Recycling

Ceiling tile recycling contributes to LEED credits in two ways:

• Construction Waste Management (MR Credit 2) — diverting ceiling tiles from the landfill counts toward the 50% or 75% diversion thresholds
• Recycled Content (MR Credit 4) — specifying new tiles with high recycled content (Armstrong's 82%) earns points

For LEED projects, documenting the recycling is as important as doing it. Keep weight tickets, recycling certificates, and photos of the bagged tiles. The LEED reviewer will ask for this documentation.

Grid Recycling

Ceiling grid (T-bar) is galvanized steel or aluminum. It's 100% recyclable as scrap metal. Any metal recycler will take it. On large demolition projects, the grid often has enough weight to be worth separating from the general debris stream.

Hanger wire is also recyclable as scrap metal, though the small gauge makes it less valuable per pound. Still worth separating if you're already sorting materials.

What We Do

On renovation projects, we separate ceiling tiles from grid and other debris. If the project qualifies for Armstrong's recycling program, we coordinate the collection. If not, we ensure the grid goes to metal recycling and the tiles are disposed of properly.

It adds a small amount of labor to the demolition process, but on LEED projects, it's required. And on non-LEED projects, it's the right thing to do when the option exists.