The Elephant in the Room

We all know about the green cart and the blue bag but waste from construction, demolition and renovation projects is the elephant in the room – a huge issue but rarely noticed. Asphalt shingles, clean wood, metal, plastic, aggregates, drywall and treated and painted wood are estimated to make up 25-30% of all solid waste in Nova Scotia totaling approximately 175,000 to 200,000 tonnes in the province annually, a massive amount of waste by weight!

In order to reduce the expense and environmental impacts of creating new landfill sites, the Government of Nova Scotia has set out to decrease the amount of waste produced per person per year to 300 kg by 2015. Because construction and demolition (C&D) material represents such a large portion of the total waste produced, homeowners, contractors, demolition experts and building professionals are all being asked to take action to reach this collective goal.

This reduction target is seen as achievable because so much of the C&D material slated for landfills can be reduced, reused or recycled by employing simple strategies that make sense economically and environmentally. The 3-Rs still apply!

Reduce: Assess the design and size of a building project at the outset to determine how the amount of construction material, and degree of demolition might be reduced.

Reuse: Renovation, adaptive reuse, deconstruction and relocation of existing buildings are alternatives to demolition that maximize waste diversion, generate income and contribute to green jobs today.

Recycle: Sort and dispose of C&D waste effectively to ensure that materials are able to be best processed and recycled for other uses.

The Waste? NOT! Toolkit is an evolving project intended to provide practical ideas and solutions for reducing C&D waste. The case studies and resource lists found in this booklet are but a snap shot of what is happening in Nova Scotia in the field of construction and demolition today.

Good luck and we hope you find the information in the Toolkit helpful.

Kim Thompson and Thom Oommen

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