Construction waste management offers many benefits, speaker says

DeWITT  —  Managing construction waste doesn’t just stop drywall scraps from clogging landfills, said a speaker at a May 24 seminar. It can keep cash in contractors’ pockets and lead to safer, happier workers. 

“From a contractor’s perspective, do you know why I really want to do this?” Stephen Beck, the chief sustainability officer at LeChase Construction Services, LLC, asked his audience. “Because by eliminating waste, I can improve my bottom line. Every dollar I don’t spend in terms of materials not incorporated in the project — you know, materials that I have to pay someone to take away — goes to my bottom line.” LeChase is headquartered in Rochester, but has Central New York offices in Syracuse, Ithaca, and Binghamton.

Beck, who is also LeChase’s director of science and technology and director of its commissioning services group, was the speaker at the seminar. The seminar, titled “Comprehensive Construction Waste Management,” looked at ways to reduce or eliminate wasted materials on the jobsite.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Upstate Chapter arranged Beck’s presentation, which took place at the headquarters of the structural engineering, landscape architecture, and building science firm Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt at 5710 Commons Park Drive in DeWitt.

Construction activity contributes between 40 percent and 45 percent of all waste being placed in U.S. landfills, Beck said. Transporting building materials to those landfills and dumping it in the ground is an environmental problem, he added.

Then, he mentioned that construction waste is costly.

“That’s what got my management’s attention,” Beck said. “When I started showing them statistics — that we could easily affect a 10 percent reduction in our material costs on a project.”

Two years ago, LeChase established a minimum diversion threshold of 75 percent for all of its projects, according to Beck. In other words, the company diverts at least 75 percent of construction waste from landfills.

Beck recommended setting up a construction waste-management plan. It could include designing to prevent waste, planning to prevent it, and implementing techniques that reduce waste or reuse it on the jobsite. It could also include recycling. 

In broader terms, firms should reduce waste, reuse it, and recycle it, Beck said. Reducing waste is the most efficient, he said.

However, Beck conceded that designing to prevent waste is not always easy, particularly for contractors that aren’t involved in the design process.

“Designing to prevent waste — as a contractor, I can’t do that,” he said. “But I have good friends in the design community, and when we’re engaged in a construction-management relationship, it gives the contractor the ability to work directly with the design professionals.”

One design technique that can help cut down on waste is using standard modules of materials, Beck added.

“We know that drywall comes 4 feet wide,” he said. “It’s 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 feet tall. Well, work on a 2-foot increment. Because if you don’t, you’ve created waste by design.”

When it comes to planning, Beck suggested “just-in-time” delivery, where contractors arrange to limit the amount of material stored at a jobsite.

Such delivery can lead to more efficient work, as crews do not have to move large stocks of material back and forth to clear different areas, Beck said. It can also cut down on damage to materials, from light fixtures to masonry, he continued.

“Every time you handle a material, there’s an increased likelihood that the material’s going to be damaged,” he said. “And there’s an inherent waste there, because you’re wasting human effort, you’re wasting the fuel that’s used in the vehicle to move the material.”

Other waste-management techniques Beck discussed included setting up a central cutting area to encourage workers to reuse salvaged materials and asking vendors to take back pallets.

Those strategies can help keep the jobsite clean and improve workers’ moods, Beck added.

“Tradesmen don’t like to work in an unclean environment,” he said. “It slows them down. It’s a tripping hazard.”  

DeWITT  —  Managing construction waste doesn’t just stop drywall scraps from clogging landfills, said a speaker at a May 24 seminar. It can keep cash in contractors’ pockets and lead to safer, happier workers. 

“From a contractor’s perspective, do you know why I really want to do this?” Stephen Beck, the chief sustainability officer at LeChase Construction Services, LLC, asked his audience. “Because by eliminating waste, I can improve my bottom line. Every dollar I don’t spend in terms of materials not incorporated in the project — you know, materials that I have to pay someone to take away — goes to my bottom line.” LeChase is headquartered in Rochester, but has Central New York offices in Syracuse, Ithaca, and Binghamton.

Beck, who is also LeChase’s director of science and technology and director of its commissioning services group, was the speaker at the seminar. The seminar, titled “Comprehensive Construction Waste Management,” looked at ways to reduce or eliminate wasted materials on the jobsite.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Upstate Chapter arranged Beck’s presentation, which took place at the headquarters of the structural engineering, landscape architecture, and building science firm Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt at 5710 Commons Park Drive in DeWitt.

Construction activity contributes between 40 percent and 45 percent of all waste being placed in U.S. landfills, Beck said. Transporting building materials to those landfills and dumping it in the ground is an environmental problem, he added.

Then, he mentioned that construction waste is costly.

“That’s what got my management’s attention,” Beck said. “When I started showing them statistics — that we could easily affect a 10 percent reduction in our material costs on a project.”

Two years ago, LeChase established a minimum diversion threshold of 75 percent for all of its projects, according to Beck. In other words, the company diverts at least 75 percent of construction waste from landfills.

Beck recommended setting up a construction waste-management plan. It could include designing to prevent waste, planning to prevent it, and implementing techniques that reduce waste or reuse it on the jobsite. It could also include recycling. 

In broader terms, firms should reduce waste, reuse it, and recycle it, Beck said. Reducing waste is the most efficient, he said.

However, Beck conceded that designing to prevent waste is not always easy, particularly for contractors that aren’t involved in the design process.

“Designing to prevent waste — as a contractor, I can’t do that,” he said. “But I have good friends in the design community, and when we’re engaged in a construction-management relationship, it gives the contractor the ability to work directly with the design professionals.”

One design technique that can help cut down on waste is using standard modules of materials, Beck added.

“We know that drywall comes 4 feet wide,” he said. “It’s 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 feet tall. Well, work on a 2-foot increment. Because if you don’t, you’ve created waste by design.”

When it comes to planning, Beck suggested “just-in-time” delivery, where contractors arrange to limit the amount of material stored at a jobsite.

Such delivery can lead to more efficient work, as crews do not have to move large stocks of material back and forth to clear different areas, Beck said. It can also cut down on damage to materials, from light fixtures to masonry, he continued.

“Every time you handle a material, there’s an increased likelihood that the material’s going to be damaged,” he said. “And there’s an inherent waste there, because you’re wasting human effort, you’re wasting the fuel that’s used in the vehicle to move the material.”

Other waste-management techniques Beck discussed included setting up a central cutting area to encourage workers to reuse salvaged materials and asking vendors to take back pallets.

Those strategies can help keep the jobsite clean and improve workers’ moods, Beck added.

“Tradesmen don’t like to work in an unclean environment,” he said. “It slows them down. It’s a tripping hazard.”