One way to improve the recovery rate for recycling, whether residential or in construction and demolition (C&D), is through the institution of single stream recycling that saves participants from the chore of separating recyclable materials. The trend towards single stream recycling seen in residential recycling is now gaining traction in the C&D sector as well. This is the tact being taken by Waste Management, which has announced that it will build Toronto’s most advanced facility for processing waste materials from building construction and demolition (C&D) sites in a single stream process.
The plant which was acquired in late 2011 will undergo extensive upgrades in the $16 million project. Twenty new full-time jobs will be created when it is complete.
The new Waste Management facility will process an estimated 87,000 tonnes of C&D material in its first full year. The semi-automated operation will be equipped to sort waste materials, so contractors and developers will no longer have to separate at source.
Brad Muter, WM’s vice president for eastern Canada, noted that the site was selected “because continued strong construction activity and population growth are anticipated in Toronto.” The new C&D facility will allow WM to mine these materials for their valuable recyclable content. One of WM’s sustainability goals is to triple the volume of recyclable materials being processed by 2020. In conjunction with the new facility announcement, the company has launched an online tool that will aid building planners, contractors, architects and owners measure their C&D recycling, calculate total diversion rates and generate documentation to support LEED® certification. Called the Diversion and Recycling Tracking tool (DART), the service is available to customers across the US and Canada.
Builders have an opportunity to divert a wide variety of construction and demolition materials, including wood, rock, metal, cardboard, plastic, shingles, concrete, fiberboard and paneling. Given the quantity of materials to track, the calculation of total diversion has traditionally been a laborious task. Waste Management’s DART technology facilitates easy measurement, according to the company.
“With the DART tool, contractors and architects can really zero in on what they are diverting and where there is opportunity to improve. We are not just tracking performance for the present, but also setting benchmarks to be surpassed in the future,” Muter explained.
DART technology was created by Waste Management to:
- Measure recycling and diversion easily
- Set clear benchmarks for companies to exceed on future projects, contributing to sustainable operations long-term
- Allow builders to promote their environmental performance
Some other features of the DART tool, include:
- Personalized "green facts" that illustrate environmental performance
- Results 24/7 from every project level - individual, company and Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Graphs and charts displaying diversion and recycling rates
