Construction Site Management: Tips for Handling Your Waste
Most construction operations generate significant volumes of waste over the duration of a job. That waste must be removed in order for your project to progress from one stage to the next, and improper disposal can be potentially harmful to the environment and surrounding communities. A key piece of construction site management is properly handling, collecting, and disposing of the waste that you create. To increase the sustainability of your construction operation and prevent expensive regulatory fines and penalties, follow our tips and best practices for effective construction waste management.
Common forms of construction waste
The specific types of waste your construction or demolition project will generate depends on the particular project, but some of the most common types generally include:
- Excess construction materials – concrete, wood, metal, and bricks
- Packaging materials for your supplies
- Organic waste – Rocks, dirt, and vegetation that has been removed during site preparation
- Extra insulation, wiring, plaster, and glass
- Potentially hazardous materials – lead, asbestos, plasterboard, paint thinners, strippers, mercury, fluorescent bulbs, and aerosol cans
Construction waste management involves all the processes, methods, and tools required to remove these types of materials effectively and safely.
Develop a complete construction waste management plan
A critical part of properly handling construction waste is creating a comprehensive plan of action before your project begins. Taking preliminary calculations, such as determining the number of materials that will be required on-site, will help you limit the overall waste generated and ensure you’re ready to dispose of the volume of waste that you generate.
A successful construction waste management plan typically includes the following:
- Potential sources of waste
- A site plan with specified areas for recycling, compost, and waste containers
- A list of materials that should be recycled
- Any special procedures for hazardous waste
- The responsible person for collecting, storing, and transporting the waste
Use the right vendors
One of the most important parts of construction site management is choosing the best vendors to handle the range of support activities that are required to complete the job successfully. For your waste, you need a vendor that can gauge the project’s requirements and adapt to quickly changing conditions. Effective waste vendors generally provide containers and have the flexibility to remove recyclables and waste from the site as it is created, to avoid buildup. When determining the right vendor, it’s critical to look at their previous track record for safety and regulatory compliance, so you can be sure they’ll handle your different waste streams in the right ways.
Minimize material packaging
A significant amount of the solid waste that your site will produce comes from the packaging that building materials and supplies come in. Purchasing in bulk will help reduce waste compared to materials packaged individually and will lower the overall costs of your building supplies. We suggest prioritizing recyclable and reusable packaging whenever possible. For example, barrels and buckets that can be reused for storage purposes.
Always recycle if you can
With construction site management, it’s crucial to understand that many materials and debris can be recycled. Concrete and rubble are often repurposed into aggregate and concrete products. Wood can be processed into engineered wood products like furniture. Metals like steel, copper, and brass are also valuable resources to sell for reuse. Recycling will help you cut down on the amount of waste you create and can even create additional revenue streams by selling off scrap and other valuable extra or used materials.
Differentiate between hazardous and nonhazardous waste
Crucial for construction waste management is recognizing the difference between hazardous and nonhazardous waste types and handling and disposing of them correctly. Many jobs use specially treated woods, glass, and plastics that typically contain hazardous substances. There are also bituminous mixtures that contain coal tar, which are also usually hazardous. Many metals like copper, bronze, brass, aluminum, iron, steel, and tin are all classified as nonhazardous. Some hazardous metals that need to be kept in mind are cables containing oil, coal tar, and other hazardous substances. Soils and stones may also be contaminated with hazardous substances. An example of this type of waste would be any material that has a presence of fragments of asbestos, as well as asbestos containing materials.
Once you understand which types of waste are hazardous or nonhazardous, it’s important that you follow all necessary procedures for each. Your waste handling provider should be able to assist you with recognizing, separating, and disposing of different types of waste, but remember that, for hazardous materials, the ultimate responsibility for correct disposal lies with the generator.
If you have any questions about construction waste management or construction site management in general, contact our team today!