How to Successfully Handle Construction Site Waste

How to Handle Construction Waste Management

Construction sites produce a lot of waste throughout the duration of a job. In order for the project to be successful and comply with all relevant regulations, that waste must be removed and disposed of properly. A key part of construction site management is putting the right systems in place to ensure all materials are correctly handled, prevent harming surrounding communities, and avoiding any fines or penalties.

What kind of waste does a construction site produce?

The specific types of waste that your jobsite generates will depend on the particular project, but some of the most common kinds include:

• Building materials – concrete, wood, metal, and bricks
• Supplies packaging
• Organic waste – Rocks, dirt, and vegetation that has been removed to prepare your site
• Extra insulation, wiring, plaster, and glass
• Potentially hazardous materials – lead, asbestos, plasterboard, paint thinners, strippers, mercury, fluorescent bulbs, and aerosol cans

Construction waste management incorporates all the processes, equipment, and tools needed to safely and effectively remove these types of materials.

Develop a construction waste management plan

Before you even begin working on a project, you have to put a plan of action in place for your waste. It should include the number of materials that will be needed on-site, so you can be ready to dispose of the volume of waste that you produce. As a baseline, a successful construction waste management plan should include the following:

• Possible sources of waste
• A site plan with areas for recycling, compost, and waste cages/bins
• A list of materials that can be recycled
• Any special procedures for hazardous wastes
• Who is responsible for collecting, storing, and transporting the waste

Using the right vendors is key

A very important piece of construction site management is choosing the vendors for all the support activities required for successful project completion. When it comes to waste, the best vendor is one that can gauge the job's needs and adapt to quickly changing conditions. Effective waste vendors will supply containers and have the ability to remove recyclables and waste from the site as it is created, to avoid excessive buildup. When picking a vendor, we recommend looking at their past track record for safety and regulatory compliance, so you're confident that they can dispose of your various waste types in the proper ways.

Minimize packaging materials

A lot of the waste generated on construction sites is the materials that your building supplies are packaged in. Buying those supplies in bulk will reduce overall waste compared to individually packaged items. We suggest prioritizing recyclable and reusable packaging whenever possible. For example, barrels and buckets that can be repurposed and used for storage.

Recycle when you can

Many building components and construction debris can be recycled. Concrete and rubble are often converted into aggregate and concrete products. Wood can be repurposed into engineered wood products like furniture. Metals like steel, copper, and brass are also valuable resources to reuse. Recycling will assist you with reducing the amount of waste your jobsite produces and can actually create additional revenue streams when you sell off scrap and other valuable extra materials.

Take caution with hazardous waste

A key part of construction site management is managing all kinds of waste safely, both hazardous and nonhazardous. The majority of jobs use specially treated woods, glass, and plastics that typically contain hazardous substances. There are also bituminous mixtures that have coal tar, which are also generally hazardous. 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. Then there are soils and stones that can be contaminated with hazardous substances. An example of this type of waste would be any material that has a presence of fragments of asbestos.

It's your responsibility to know whether your waste is hazardous or nonhazardous and follow all required processes for each type. Your waste handling provider should be able to help you with recognizing, separating, and disposing of both, but keep in mind that, when it comes to hazardous waste, the job of proper disposal ultimately lies with the generator.

If you have any questions about construction waste management or construction site management in general, contact our team today!