Jeff Moore, LEED AP, Project Engineer -- The construction industry got involved with recycling through programs such as the National Association of Home Builders’ National Green Building Program, U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star, to name a few. Within these programs, recycling became a main component for the various certifications.
Constructors began devising ways to recycle materials, and, much like the infant stages of the curbside movement, the industry found itself with five vessels for different materials. Large waste companies began to initiate their own recycling programs that targeted construction projects attempting to achieve a green building certification. Their pitch was to offer convenient hauling methods and reduce the associated costs for owners. But constructors still faced the task of sorting recyclables from trash and depositing each material in the appropriate bin: “WOOD ONLY” - “METAL ONLY” - “DRYWALL ONLY” - “ROCK ONLY” - “TRASH ONLY.”
Source separation is not viable on many urban sites, where the building footprint comprises most of the available space and there’s no room for multiple recycling containers. Additionally, the time and labor required to separate trash from the various recyclables stifles the ability to quickly and continuously provide a safe, clean and organized jobsite without the addition of more labor. Another downside – one often overlooked – is the fuel cost tied to the separated recycling effort. Each bin goes go to a different location, each trip resulting in many miles and many gallons of fuel to support a supposed green activity.
Enter single stream recycling: one lonely bin for all recyclables.
Allied Waste Services in Chicago recently opened an $8 million recycling facility that provides services to accommodate commingled construction and demolition debris. This process can start with a combined load of brick, asphalt, concrete, metal, wood and drywall and result in all components being mechanically separated and resold into the market as base building materials. St. Louis-based Eco Recycling Inc. has created a facility on Page Avenue that is very similar. Eco Recycling also has a lengthy list of products that can be incorporated in new construction products.
Single stream facilities offer a truly green option. They free jobsites of numerous sorting containers, pared down to “TRASH ONLY” and “RECYCLE ONLY” bins. They reduce fuel use, and subsequently carbon emissions, and provide a place where recycled material can be sorted, prepared and sold back into the construction material stream to live again in a new building. We are finally seeing recycling programs that help conserve our resources and lighten our impact on the ever-changing landscape.