Keeping Your Construction Site Clean And Green

According to Construction Specifications Canada, construction and demo waste makeup 23 percent of society’s overall waste and is the greatest producer of wood waste in North America. More than half of construction and demolition-related debris is recyclable or reusable and doesn’t need to end up in landfills. Builders may assume that environmentally friendly practices will hurt their bottom line, but waste diversion can reduce disposal costs by up to 30 percent!

TIPS FOR GREENING YOUR CONSTRUCTION SITE

1.       Set up a designated recycling station. Dedicate bins or a site area for diverting materials such as metal, cardboard, plastics, drywall, clean wood as well as reusable building materials. Not only does taking metal to the scrap yard keep these materials out of the landfill, you’ll generate funds to help pay for end-of-the-week beers or treats for the crew. It’s a win-win!

2.       Encourage designs that create less waste creation. Raise awareness of expected environmentally conscious waste management practices at the beginning of the project, we need to lead by example. Use standard sizes and qualities of materials and always plan ahead to reduce cut-offs and over-ordering, unless used items can be returned or donated.

3.       Think twice before you toss it. Could it be reused? Usable lumber up to 4 feet can be taken to not for profits such as Habitat for Humanity; Restore, Squamish ReBuild, Urban Repurpose, and Whistler Re-Build-It Centre - extra dimple mat or blue rigid insulation is also a great material to donate too. Give them a call and they will be sure to answer all your donation questions!

4.       Deconstruction is the future. Dismantle buildings rather than knock them down to increase the amount of undamaged materials that can be salvaged and donated.

5.       Reusable mugs and bottles DO make an impact. Invest in reusable mugs or bottles for your crew, since nearly half of the garbage collected on construction sites are from disposable coffee cups and single-use containers. As an extra step, supply a water service for your site. Less plastic water bottles the better!

6.       Be a recycling hero! Take the lead on-site. Download the Recycling Council of B.C.’s mobile Recyclepedia app. It’s a quick and simple tool that helps you find more than 1,000 drop-off locations and recycling options for over 70 materials or products across the province or give your local Recycling Hotline a call.

These small acts create big impacts towards keeping your construction site clean and green!

Sea to Sky Removal is the first waste hauling company in Canada to implement award-winning on-site recycling stations on construction sites to make sorting recyclables easier. Each of their recycling stations can divert nearly half a tonne (300 pounds) from the landfill, and our crews hand-sort every load to ensure the maximum tonnage of recyclables are diverted. We donate reusable materials to non-profits, such as Habitat for Humanity; ReStore. You can even request a waste audit and photo documentation, so you’ll know exactly where your materials end up.

As a financial incentive, keeping recyclables out of landfills reduces waste management costs.

Sea to Sky Removal Implements On-Site Recycling Stations

When it comes to keeping as much construction waste out of the landfill as possible, we’ve got it down to a science. Our team hand separates all recyclables as well as any reusable items from actual garbage. We also live-load our trucks so we can efficiently dispose materials to the correct locations such as the landfill, recycling centers, as well as any suitable local non-profit organizations. 

As you can imagine, this process can be quite time consuming. That’s why we’re excited to implement our on-site recycling stations for metal, cardboard, and plastic (ideal for foams, hard packaging from tools, or finishing items).

Not only will these stations help streamline the recycling/sorting of your waste materials, it will also keep as much as possible out of your local landfill. The stations will also make tracking waste for a Green and Leeds Build Waste Diversion Report more efficient. A Waste Diversion Report provides data on where your material went and how it was disposed which you can in turn share with your customers both in-person and online (website and social media).

At Sea to Sky Removal we are always ready with the education and tools to make recycling and greening your site easy, even second nature. A recycling station fits this bill perfectly and can be easily implemented at any point in a project, from the time the first crew is on-site to when the last person clocks out. The stations are also ideal for contractor yards/storage areas as we offer an on-going service on each client’s schedule.

We’ll also gladly provide extra bags if you need to recycle additional materials. We also recycle drywall, clean wood, glass, mirrors, light bulbs, batteries, and more. All drywall is taken to facilities that promote sustainable gypsum removal and recycling. Any clean wood is taken to an area for processing into hog fuel and other re-use.

We will arrange for pick-up at your convenience, either bundled as a load of construction waste removal or on demand as needed. A full load (18 yards) of construction waste removed is $545 plus GST. This price includes up to 1 tonne of weight and any weight over that is charged out at transfer station / disposal facility rates with no additional markup added. A recycling service on its own is $250 plus GST in the Lower Mainland and $300 in the Sea to Sky (Squamish & Whistler). For a complete list of rates, please click here.

We recommend, for ease of pick-up, to place your recycling station adjacent to the main entry/exit to your site where our truck can easily back in. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, placing a recycling station 1.5 meters away from a point of entry or exit can drastically boost recycling and composting rates by 141 percent.  It all comes down to convenience. The study’s lead author Alessandra DiGiacomo shared that "Perhaps unsurprisingly, we found that people composted and recycled much more when we made it more convenient”.

We want to make keeping your site green as easy as possible. That’s why we operate on the highest of standards of landfill diversion in the industry. From hand sorting to our recycling stations, we are passionate about what we do.

We also will provide photo documentation and waste / recycling percentage reports for all Green Builds and Leed Projects. We are members of Recycling Council of BC, which means clients can amass points on their builds when using us for their waste category.

Call us today at 604-836-9258 to have your on-site recycling station delivered.