Sorting Of Construction Waste On Site Assists Recycling Efforts

Q: I’m remodeling my kitchen, and there is a lot of construction waste to throw away. What can I do to reduce this? Is it possible to recycle any of this material?

A. Within the past decade, disposal of construction and demolition waste has become a major expense for many building contractors. Tipping fees (the average fee charged for dumping waste at a landfill or another solid-waste facility) vary from state to state and county to county. Spokane County charges $92 per ton.

There are also three inert and demolition landfills in Spokane County that accept limited types of materials at a lower fee. Largely due to population density, landfill space is scarce, and disposal costs are skyrocketing.

A key to cost savings is recycling.

Building demolition is the largest contributor of waste from construction, although standard renovations and remodeling contribute greatly to construction waste as well.

Wood makes up the bulk of most contractor’s debris piles. Whether you can easily recycle your wood debris may depend on whether it is chemically treated or painted. Wood can be recycled as feedstock for pressed board, chip board, pressed logs, animal bedding, mulch, and landscape cover. Some wood grinders will accept wood with nails, staples or fasteners.

Concrete and asphalt easily comprise the bulk of the debris pile weight. These are commonly reused products. These materials are reused as masonry, to fill in landscaping and crushed for use as aggregate in roadbeds and parking lots.

Although a relatively new option, recycling of wallboard is possible. The wallboard is recycled into new wallboard and also used for making fertilizer products.

Fertilizer companies can accept only new, unpainted scrap. The recycled wallboard market, if available in your area, is less restrictive and usually accepts demolition wallboard as well.

Boxes are very easy to recycle. The material is usually converted back to box board to be used again.

Masonry and tile have great recycling potential. The material that is not contaminated can be reground and used for concrete or used as fill material.

Unbroken plumbing fixtures, good doors and windows, cabinets and cupboards, and large pieces of unused lumber could go to a business that sells used building materials or to a non-profit organization such as Habitat for Humanity.

It is important to identify which of these materials can be recycled in the vicinity of the project. Your local solid-waste authority will be able to advise you or your contractor about recycling options. Other sources of information include state energy and environmental agencies, waste haulers, and demolition contractors.

Separation is key to recycling success. Keeping wastes separate as you accumulate them and storing them separately will yield a higher value for the material and simplify the process. The use of separate bins is most common, although a large single bin with separate dividers works fine.

Another key to construction and demolition recycling success is cooperation and education. The various materials will need to be handled differently, and this will require cooperation and education of the construction crew and subcontractors.

Recycling makes sense environmentally and economically. Cutting back on waste slated for disposal will reduce the cost of materials purchased for the project and reduce hauling and tipping fees. If you are hiring contractors, it is to your benefit to have them clearly define their recycling policies and include them in your contract.

Recycling plan

Determine the types of waste to be generated and in what quantities and frequencies. Look for recyclers for each material.

The Department of Ecology’s Hotline, (800) RECYCLE or the Spokane Regional Recycling Hotline, 747-0242 will provide you with the names of the appropriate recyclers.

Be sure to ask the recyclers: what materials they take, what they pay for, what they charge for each kind of material, what they require as a minimum quantity, whether they’ll pick up the debris, and whether they provide on-site containers for separation.

Calculate the possible savings.

Identify contractor employees to be responsible for the on-site program.

Train all contractor employees so they know what can be recycled.

Determine where and how recyclable material will be stored.

Clearly label the bins to keep waste separate.

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The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, QUESTION & ANSWER - Homewise BYLINE = Amy Mickelson Washington State Energy Office Jason DeLeon assisted with the writing of this column.