About a third of the 1.3 million tonnes of waste disposed in the region each year comes from the construction and demolition sector. With the recently updated Construction and Demolition Waste Reduction and Recycling Toolkit, Metro Vancouver is helping boost recycling of materials such as wood.
This toolkit provides practical information for contractors, designers and homeowners on the reuse and recycling of building materials, including a contact directory of service providers and facilities. It also highlights the benefits of alternative demolition methods such as deconstruction, which can salvage and redistribute up to 95% of building materials for reuse or recycling. Deconstruction is also quieter and reduces dust generation.
An online demolition waste generation calculator was also developed to help building permit applicants estimate the waste they may generate on site and the minimum amount of waste they need to divert to meet their municipality’s recycling requirements.
