Recycling and Renewable Energy
As of January 1 of this year, Metro Vancouver has banned a number of common construction waste materials from landfills and other waste disposal sites. These include paints and solvents, corrugated cardboard, yard trimmings and gypsum wallboard, all of
which can be generated during a home renovation. There are also new targets for the capture of paper, plastics, electronic equipment and household appliances to be phased in over the next few years. A surcharge of 50 per cent is being applied to the landfill tipping fee, $68/metric tonne, for waste loads found to contain banned materials. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the amount of renovation waste, and private facilities and haulers that are capable of handling certain materials. “It is criminally thoughtless not to
recycle gypsum wallboard,” said Ralph Belisle, president of TQ Construction, who was the lead contractor in a green home renovation done under the guidance of Metro Vancouver (then the GVRD) four years ago. Belisle explains that New West Gypsum Recycling Inc. in New Westminster already takes about 90 per cent of the gypsum construction waste in the region and recycles the product back into new wallboard and other uses.
Belisle has other tips on getting rid of renovation waste. He advises holding a demolition sale – many are advertised free on craigslist– to get rid of old countertops, kitchen cabinets, flooring and other items that are still in good condition. “We once sold 70 feet of granite countertops from a Shaughnessy renovation,” he said. Working appliances, lighting, fencing materials, doors, windows and plumbing items can also be donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Restore outlets, he added. Belisle also noted that old wood studs could be recycled if some building restrictions were eased. He explained that
Heritage-era houses often had 96-inchlong studs, but modern construction uses 92-1/4-inch studs. “It is easy to trim these down,” he said. A glitch, though, is that city inspectors often require a current lumber stamp, which can restrict recycling, even if the old wood is in excellent condition. He also wonders why there is no facility in the region capable of handling old fiberglass insulation, a common waste product from renovations. Tips on renovation recycling Get organized. Compile an inventory of materials that will be generated from your project. Walk through and create a list of all materials and determine how you will deal with them: salvage for reuse, recycling or disposal. Consult a salvage contractor about what can be salvaged from your project before you begin demolition. Have bins or boxes before you start your renovation project to separate your waste as you go. Whether you decide to haul the waste yourself or hire a waste hauler, separating waste early will make your hauling arrangement easier and cheaper, because everything is source separated.
Think about where you will store your materials until they are hauled away. Try to arrange materials by destination and type:
• salvageable materials, such as cabinets, flooring, doors, going to reuse stores or
being sold;
• recyclable materials, such as drywall, wood, cardboard and metals going torecycling depots; and
• waste going to the transfer station. Make sure material is stored in a covered area to prevent wetness. Some material needs to be dry, or it might be rejected at the depot and end up as garbage. Besides, you are charged by weight, so heavier wet materials are more expensive.