CONSTRUCTION

WASTE

Maria Hoekstra, Andrea Rip

Dan VanTimmeren, Brett Post

Josh Snyder, Matt Swedlund

 

 

Current Disposal

Currently, Calvin disposes of its dorm construction waste in two ways. The furniture is either given away or sold cheaply to the community. The old carpet, cushions, and mattresses are not recyclable, so the are all sent to the landfill.

Waste Management took all of the construction waste from the new science buildings to a public landfill.

 

Financial Information

There are usually three kind of charges for removal of construction waste. The handling charges, the transportation costs and the tipping fee. For home building it varies between $250-1000 per home. At Calvin the costs are below:
 

Cost

Per Dumpster

$250

Hauling Fee

$200-$450

Total

$16,000 for all of Calvin

OIKOS estimates that about .5% of the construction

costs are tied into disposing of construction waste.

 

 

Alternatives To Construction Waste Disposal

There are two main alternatives:

1) Organizational or governmental regulations that require reuse or recycle of specific building materials during a construction project.

2) A waste management program implemented by an organization which utilizes a waste manager who regulates the construction waste for reuse or recycle.

Both options are effective and actually save money on the majority of construction projects. Construction contractors want to waste as little material as possible as it is costly for disposal and the materials themselves are costly. Option One is best implemented on one time construction projects and option two is best for construction companies where they are continually involved with construction projects. Option one does not involve a full time manager so it is less costly than option two but not as effective. Both options increase labor costs for separation of materials but these costs are offset by the money that is saved.

 

National Impact

In the United States, many construction companies are taking the correct measures to recycle and reduce their waste. Many materials cast aside by one crew is reused by the next for a new project. 80% of a homebuilders waste is recyclable. There are many groups such as the G.E.O. (Global Environmental Options) and the National Association of HomeBuilders who keep these companies to the environmental standards. The pie charts below show what and how much waste is generated on a construction site.

Amount of Waste

Wolverine Construction was in charge of the construction waste at Calvin for the new Science and Engineering buildings. There was 1900 cubic yards of waste for both buildings.

-1900 cubic yards is the same as

    • 63 - large dumpsters
    • 7700 - 50 gallon garbage cans

This amount of waste is a large number for a building because it is an institutional building, which is a worst case scenario. Waste from an industrial building would be reduced by 50% or more.

Construction waste at Calvin includes:

  • concrete
  • steel
  • drywall
  • masonry
  • architectural waste
  • electrical waste
  • plumbing waste
  • duct work
  • dirt
  • insulation
Summary
Calvin is faced with many tough decisions regarding construction waste. Though it would like to recycle more, the problem is primarily the fault of the construction companies themselves. It takes time and money to sort through all of the different waste for recycling purposes, something that the construction companies do not have. However, Calvin should at least try to do more. By encouraging companies to recycle more, or by hiring companies that do recycle more, Calvin will be doing their part in the conservation of God’s creation.

 

Group Picture