Many of us own property. Some of us manage property purchase and renovations.  But how do we handle construction waste as homeowners and property developers? Here are some top tips on how to stay aware of the likely pitfalls, and how to manage resources, handle construction waste and recycle where possible.

Top tips on how to handle construction waste

With the global population rising every year, the ecosystem is suffering. Whether it is under attack from the impact of dramatic weather changes or some other devastating hits. Fortunately, the awareness of problems such as global warming, air pollution, and toxic waste disposal has improved. Nowadays, there are private initiatives and government-financed programs that are addressing these issues. Wider understanding means they are slowly becoming everybody’s responsibility and problem.

This leads us to the question of what our personal contribution could be. How we can become a part of this global effort to improve the environment.

The answer might be literally at our doorstep. For example, according to statistical reports, construction waste is all around us and causes a great deal of damage to the environment. Large housing and infrastructure construction programmes often leave a lot of debris. So here is how we can make a start in our own backyard. Read on to learn some useful and important tips on how to handle construction waste. That way we can prevent building leftovers from ruining our immediate environment. If we all make a marked effort in our locale, it will help the wider effort and create a positive impact.

Have it in mind from the beginning 

Before even starting a construction project plan what to do with the waste. While the project is still in the developing phase, estimate and organise the leftover debris and waste. Once you have that determined, you can now decide what size of Baltimore county roll off dumpster you need. Make sure to estimate how much material you really. Try to make an agreement with your supplier which will allow you to return some of the unused materials. Also, planning such resources efficiently will lower the cost of the project as a whole from the very start. You can redirect the unused money into something else. 

Properly handling of your construction waste

Not all waste is bad. Repurpose what you don’t use in one project, in another project you. For example, concrete is easily redeployed on a construction site. While leftover copper cables are easily recycled and are in fact much sought after.

Manage construction waste during the construction process, this is critical for efficiency. If you do not have a proper disposal site, the chances are your workers might throw it away as they would any less useful waste.

To make the disposal site obvious rent a skip or other containers to assist you in managing efficient of all your waste items. Nobody wants to waste, so make your waste management system easy to understand. The more containers you have, the better, since it will make the job easier for the workers.

Label the containers clearly. They can even have different colors. Keep things basic and make it clear where everything belongs.

Buy recycled material and recycle what you don’t use

As some of the debris can be reused. Others can be 100% recycled. You may even sell the recyclable material and profit from it. Another option is to purchase recyclable materials from the start and use them in your construction. This way you will save a lot of money on the material itself.

 So consider the following: 

• Construction companies are trying to find innovative ways of reprocessing plastic, rubber, and other materials.
• Nowadays, you can find floor tiles made out of plastic, laminate, and parquet made of sawdust or throw-away paper.
• Carpets made of polyester and reprocessed rubber are used again for a vast variety of things. E.g. coating, sealants, or sound isolation.
• If there is any construction waste e.g. unused concrete, fill in the gaps and cracks with it. Make retaining walls with the concrete.
• Unused road gravel can also be crushed into smaller pieces or ground into dust and used to produce cement.

If it is not too expensive, think of even having a shredder around. It is practical and makes disposing of the waste even easier. 

Be creative 

People throw away more than just the hard construction materials. There is often a lot of debris from cut trees, the excavated landmass, and stones. All these constitute construction waste on a development site. Maybe think of how you could use all these and incorporate them into a landscape later on, around the building. Stones can be used in pavements or sidewalks, the wood from trees may come in handy for benches or you could replant them. You can even make trash cans from the residue of cutting sheets of metal, and beautiful fountains from rocks and stones. The pallets you have sitting around may be used for storing the material left, or even cutting them into smaller pieces and use later as firewood.

In summary – How to handle construction waste

If all of this is just too troublesome for you get help. It will likely take up a lot of your time and effort, so perhaps think of maybe hiring someone to handle construction waste for you. There are many companies offering this kind of service, so you won’t have to do it alone. If you take into consideration all of the expenses, maybe just paying someone is the easier way to go. Whatever you choose, keep in mind, you are helping the environment and drastically contributing to its preservation. 

FURTHER READING FOR HOMEOWNERS & PETOWNERS

At Housesitmatch.com we like to offer useful and practical articles on topics for our readers. In this selection we offer you a number of suitable pieces from our own blog on renovating and decorating a home.

Remove construction junk fast – Here’s how

Building a new home? Things to remember

New home features you didn’t know you would want

Housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities