At construction sites, new structures are born and old ones are demolished or revamped. If you run a construction company and your company has been hired to do a job, whatever that may be, a lot of waste is going to be turning up in the building and/or demolition processes. For the sake of the environment and for the sake of your employees, you need to manage your construction site waste more efficiently.
Knowing What’sWhat
You and your staff need to be able to identify the different types of waste. It is a sign of good environmental stewardship when we reuse what can be reused. In the long run, it also makes it easier on your accounts.
Staff should be trained about the importance of the doing the following:
- Mark disposal bins and containers with labels that are legible;
- Empty the containers regularly to create more space and also to avoid any contamination;
- Set aside a location where disposal bins will be held;
- Check the area frequently to see if these things are being done properly.
It would be quite relieving to have a waste management contractor around who can:
- Ensure that the proper containers have been provided;
- Ensure that you have a ready help with trainings, enforcement and management;
- Materials that have been separated have their proper place to go to.
Hazardous or toxic waste must not be mixed in with other waste categories. Hazardouswaste include oil and oil products, asbestos, fluorescent bulbs, corrosives, electrical equipment and the like. You should keep a detailed information about who transports the waste materials, the name of a contact person, etc. Also, be mindful of whether the waste is being taken to the appropriate disposal site.
To manage site waste, consider the following tips:
- Even if materials won’t complete an entire project, keep them because they can always be used as test pieces on another job.
- Leftover insulation can be used in walls and attics or they can be used for another job.
- Trees that have been taken down along with their branches can be used as mulch.
- Try as much as possible during demolition to salvage things that cannot be recycled like doors and windows. You may find someone who would still be in need of them, or you could donate them to a reuse center.