We’ve all been reminded to “reduce, reuse, recycle.” But are environmentally friendly waste practices possible – and scalable – in the construction industry? Enter waste diversion.
As a construction professional, you know that construction projects generate significant amounts of waste materials, including wood, concrete, metal, plastics, and other construction debris. By implementing waste diversion practices, job sites can minimize their environmental impact and promote sustainability.
What Is Waste Diversion?
Waste diversion is the practice of diverting waste materials away from landfills or incinerators through methods like recycling, composting, and reuse. Instead of disposing of waste in conventional waste management facilities, waste diversion can minimize the amount of waste sent to landfills or incinerators by finding alternative disposal or recovery methods that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Ultimately, waste diversion has major benefits—this practice helps conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigate environmental pollution.
Landfill Diversion vs. Waste Diversion
While landfill diversion and waste diversion are related concepts, they actually focus on different aspects of waste management:
Landfill diversion specifically refers to the practice of diverting waste away from landfills. The goal of landfill diversion is to reduce the amount of waste that is ultimately disposed of in landfills, either by finding alternative disposal methods or by preventing waste from being generated in the first place. Landfill diversion strategies include recycling, composting, reuse, and waste reduction initiatives. The emphasis is on reducing the burden on landfills and minimizing the environmental impact of waste disposal.
Waste diversion is a broader term that encompasses a range of practices aimed at diverting waste away from landfills and incinerators. Waste diversion includes not only landfill diversion but also strategies to divert waste from other disposal methods, such as incineration.
In addition to recycling, composting, and reuse, waste diversion may also include energy recovery, where waste is converted into energy through processes like anaerobic digestion or waste-to-energy incineration. The goal of waste diversion strategies are all about maximizing resource recovery, minimizing environmental harm, and promoting sustainability in waste management.
How Construction Sites Can Divert Waste
Construction is a dirty job! It produces tons of waste. Integrating waste diversion practices into construction site management is essential for promoting sustainability, minimizing environmental impact, reducing costs, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Site supervisors play a crucial role in implementing and overseeing waste diversion initiatives to achieve these goals effectively. Here are some ways construction jobs can incorporate waste diversion:
Construction Waste Recycling
Materials such as wood, concrete, metal, asphalt, and cardboard can often be recycled instead of being sent to landfills. Construction companies can separate these materials on-site and work with recycling facilities to ensure they are properly recycled.
Construction Material Reuse
Many materials used in construction, such as lumber, bricks, and fixtures, can be salvaged and reused in other projects instead of being disposed of as waste. Contractors can explore options for salvaging and repurposing materials during demolition and renovation projects.
Construction Waste Reduction
Construction companies can implement practices to minimize waste generation like careful planning, accurate material estimation, and efficient use of resources. Choosing modular construction methods, using prefabricated components, and reducing packaging waste are examples of waste reduction strategies.
Composting
Organic waste generated on construction sites (also known as green waste) such as wood scraps, landscaping debris, and food waste, can be composted instead of being disposed of in landfills. Composting not only reduces waste but also produces nutrient-rich compost that can be used for landscaping and soil improvement.
How to Calculate Waste Diversion Rate
It’s important to understand how to measure success when working toward any goal—including a more sustainable construction site! Waste diversion rates measure the portion of waste not sent to the landfill.
Tracking your waste diversion rate over time is a great way to measure the effectiveness of reuse, recycling, and organic composting programs.
Follow these steps to calculate your waste diversion rate:
- Determine the total amount of waste generated: This includes all waste produced by your organization or project during a specific period, typically measured in weight (e.g., pounds, kilograms, tons).
- Calculate the amount of waste diverted: This includes all materials that are recycled, composted, reused, or otherwise diverted from disposal in a landfill or incinerator. Measure the weight of these diverted materials.
- Divide the amount of waste diverted by the total amount of waste generated: Divide the weight of the diverted waste by the weight of the total waste generated. Then, multiply the result by 100 to express the waste diversion rate as a percentage.
Here’s the formula to calculate waste diversion rate:
Example waste diversion rate:
Let’s say your construction project generated 10 tons (20,000 pounds) of waste in a month, and you diverted 3 tons (6,000 pounds) of that waste through recycling and composting.
So, in this example, the waste diversion rate for the construction project would be 30%. This means that 30% of the waste generated was diverted from disposal in landfills or incinerators through recycling and composting.
Why Waste Diversion Matters In Construction
Effective, sustainable construction waste disposal is critical for mitigating environmental impacts, safeguarding public health, and promoting sustainability in the construction industry. One piece of the sustainable waste disposal puzzle is waste diversion.
By reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills, minimizing resource depletion, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, construction project managers and contractors ensure they’re contributing to a more sustainable future of construction. Not to mention, embracing waste diversion practices can lead to cost savings, regulatory compliance, and enhanced reputation, benefiting both the environment and the bottom line of construction projects. It’s a win-win!
Interested in partnering on a construction site project? Reach out to us today to get a free quote.