Kurt Macnamara points toward 20-foot-high piles of construction debris - a hodgepodge of broken pallets, asphalt shingles and copper plumbing. Such junk is usually shunted to dumps across New England, but Macnamara sees new revenue in the refuse.

"This is a glass window view into what goes into a landfill," Macnamara says as he surveys the debris filling the 90,000-square-foot building. "This is all stuff that can be recycled."

Devens Recycling recycles construction and demolition waste and is one of several local facilities built recently as the government and industry adjust their views on construction and demolition waste. Which is how he and his company, Devens Recycling LLC, are trying to turn a profit.

Devens Recycling recycles construction and demolition waste and is one of several local facilities built recently as the government and industry adjust their views on construction and demolition waste.

The economic downturn has placed pressure on the industry's margins. Even so, experts say a budding interest in sustainability makes the emerging industry viable in the long term.

Macnamara, owner of demolition company W.K. Macnamara Corp., founded Devens Recycling in 2006 after researching better ways to recycle waste. He brought on former John Hancock Life Insurance Co. CEO James Benson as a business partner. Together the two chose an 11-acre site at the former Fort Devens military base, and the facility opened in September 2007.

The building has six bays for haulers to bring in materials by truck and a rail line to send out separated products.

Mounds of separated materials line the outside of the facility. Wood chips go to Canada for particle board, metals go to Asia to be melted down and reused. About 75 percent of the material dumped by haulers is recycled.

Massachusetts banned the dumping of certain building materials into landfills - asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, metal and wood - in 2003. Initiatives such as the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program further promote recycling by enabling construction companies to earn points toward certification if they recycle.

"We're trying to develop a paradigm shift from waste management to materials management," said Department of Environmental Protection regional planner Jim McQuade. "We're creating a market for the materials."

The construction downturn has put a crimp in Devens' business as less waste comes to the facility. Devens has seen a 50 percent drop-off in volume, now taking in about 400 tons per day. It is permitted to take in 1,500 tons. Further, falling prices for commodities like steel and cardboard make it more difficult for the company to generate revenue on the secondary markets.

Nevertheless, Macnamara says the facility took in enough materials, charging a rate of between $78 and $100 per ton, to enable the company to break even in its first year. He would not disclose revenue.

The company, which employs 25 people, is also hoping to tap into funding and development of new ways to turn trash into fuel. "The challenge is to find the new markets for the materials all the time," he said. "There's a lot of education going on."