With much of the construction industry embracing the philosophy of ‘green building’ there’s growing pressure on building site managers to get serious about recycling.
More than 90% of construction and demolition waste can be recycled – everything from concrete rubble and steel reinforcing to timber offcuts and bits of PVC pipe – but the diversity of waste can create a bit of a challenge for building site managers who want to maximise their recycling performance.
Good news: for several types of waste commonly found on demolition and construction sites, Ecocycle can provide site mangers with a range of simple solutions.
If your building site generates any of the following types of waste, have a chat with us as to how you can help us recover valuable resources from what would otherwise be ‘waste’.
Here’s what Ecocycle can recycle:
Lighting
Fluorescent and vapour lamps contain mercury, and an increasing number of states are prohibiting its dumping in landfill.
Our lighting recycling process safely recovers this mercury, along with glass, aluminium and other components.
Electronic waste (e-waste)
Broken computers and defunct mobile phones are perhaps the most common types of e-waste turning up on construction sites. We have recycling solutions for them too.
Batteries
All types of batteries from all sources including power tools, calculators, cars and trucks, phones and laptops can and should be recycled.
At present, apart from lead acid vehicle batteries, the vast majority end up in landfill.
Scrap metals
Whether its old metals from demolition sites or offcuts of electrical wiring, steel, copper or aluminium, metals are amongst the most recyclable of materials.
Our sister company Recycal provides comprehensive metal recycling services.
Mercury-contaminated soils
The processes we have developed for effectively cleaning up mercury-contaminated sludges and catalysts created by resource extraction companies are also able to deal with mercury-contaminated soils that may be encountered on former industrial sites.
It’s important that this mercury be removed prior to redevelopment.
Mercury-containing thermostats
A common leftover from old industrial sites, mercury-containing thermostats need to be carefully handled for both safety and environmental reasons. We can help you remove them safely and responsibly from building sites.
Spread the habit
With independent sub-contractors performing much of the work in the construction industry, building site managers have a great opportunity to educate tradies on the many different things that they can recycle.
Make sure your site practices encourage your sub-contractors to get in on the act.
As for other recyclable materials that aren’t on the list of the specialist wastes that we safely recycle, check with your council or businessrecycling.com.au to see if there is a recycling solution for all of your waste.
Ready to clean up your building site? Give us a call on 1300 32 62 92 or fill in the contact form below and let’s talk recycling.
