When you see construction site, you know that there will be a lot of waste to endure. Not only the workers on the site, of course, but also passers-by and the environment itself. Building or remodelling a home is messy business and it always comes back to bite the environment in some way or another. These kinds of sites are cluttered and quite wasteful and they send a bad message to a world that is still recovering from the industrialisation period and struggling to be green. Naturally, all of this can be taken in and modified in a way that will help rather than ruin the surroundings and the day of its neighbours. There is a way to do green constructions and it goes as follows: “reuse, reduce, recycle”. It is an old mantra, but it ultimately does help architects and builders to achieve some safety for themselves and the environment at the end of the day.
Repurpose and reuse
The greatest way to reduce the waste created by any construction site is to reuse it. Reusing will beat recycling any day, especially since the latter needs processes that do the opposite of its results. By repurposing used material you bring down the demolition needs and number of things you buy and destroy down to a minimum. It cuts rubbish removal prices as well. Simply think twice before dumping any non-hazardous item.
Deconstruct rather than demolish
Reusing material is not always an option and in this case you must try to do anything to remove an item the cleanest way possible. Most people demolish, grinding everything down to even more unusable pieces and dump them in the nearest landfill. There are other ways, though. Deconstruction of building materials has rarely been an option, but it is the cleaner and greener option. It is basically the salvaging of components which ultimately even adds more reuse value and all the materials can be double-checked. It is more burdensome, but ultimately better.
Recycle
Too many of the materials used in a construction site can be recycled. Always have that in mind as at a certain point you will have to call that rubbish collection service and you will have to ask for the recycling option. The collectors will come and they will need to know what can be recycled so that they can make full use of it. Scour the waste, make sure what is recyclable and what is not, and then provide that info to the proper company.
A closer look into the used materials will also bring other options. Have you heard of waste management? This is what you actually have to start with and what will help you divert waste streams and pick material for reuse. Proper waste management will lower the volume of the overall builder’s waste and you will be able to take everything into bite-sized portions. Easy management will go a long way to save your cause.
Always keep in mind that you can do more for the environment. Even the messy construction sites have a green side, but only if you put some effort into it. Give nature a hand and build with green care.
