Easter Morning Build volunteers sort recyclable build waste into 10 different piles. These recycling efforts can reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill by as much as 90%.click to enlarge EMB 1999 recycling efforts will divert the following materials from the landfill: *Numbers are based on past builds. More about the 1999 Easter Morning Build: Return to Wednesday's 1999 EMB Report House Ushers in a New Day for Poole Family More Updates: Monday | Tuesday Thursday | Friday 1998 Easter Morning Build |
Recycling Gives Build Waste New Life
AMERICUS, Georgia (March 31, 1999) -- An estimated 54 tons of construction waste will be kept out of landfills through recycling efforts at the Easter Morning Build. Everything from drywall and siding to treated and untreated wood to aluminum cans is being reused and recycled at the EMB site.
The recycling program is made possible through a joint effort of the Green Team, Habitat's environmental awareness team, and Keep Sumter Beautiful, an affiliate of the environmental initiative, Keep America Beautiful.
Keep Sumter Beautiful and Habitat for Humanity have worked together since the 20/20,000 Build in 1993, using complementary programs to enhance the quality of life for homeowners, their families and the community.
This large-scale recycling effort has meant more work for the more than 1,000 EMB volunteers. The construction waste isn't thrown conveniently into one large Dumpster. With designations for specific materials, material-collection sites have been labeled to aid in the recycling process. There are collection areas for drywall, vinyl siding, asphalt shingles, cardboard, carpet scraps, metals, untreated wood, treated wood/blueboard, aluminum cans and miscellaneous materials. Everything is separated before it is picked up and taken away.
"It isn't glamorous work," said Drew Kalnow of Wilmette, Ill., one of the EMB volunteers working on the recycling effort. "But, if it is all used and not thrown away, it is worth the effort."
Much of the construction waste will be reused at the houses in the EMB community and in the local community. Drywall is the largest construction material waste. The EMB site will generate about 40,000 pounds of drywall waste, which will be ground and applied to each home site before the sod is laid. Any extra ground drywall will go to local peanut fields to aid in water retention and plant development. The untreated wood also will be returned directly to the build site, where it will be mulched and given to the homeowners for use in landscaping and gardening.
The asphalt shingles will be put into Sumter County roads. The treated wood/blue board will be used for small craft projects, and the metals also will be used locally. The vinyl will be chipped, melted and mixed with other plastics to produce more siding and PVC piping. The cardboard will be sold to benefit the Americus-Sumter County HFH affiliate, and the aluminum cans will be collected as part of HFHI's partnership with the Aluminum Association.
"With just a little bit of effort, people can make a dramatic difference," said Rod Marchant, executive director for Keep Sumter Beautiful and recycling coordinator for EMB. "If they will think before they toss, recycling at the construction site is a win-win situation. It saves the contractor money, saves the taxpayers money and helps the environment. It actually closes the loop."
In addition to recycling material used at the site, the homes are using recycled material in the construction phase. The stairs and porches are built using a material made of recycled milk bottles and cedar fines.
"In addition to diverting tonnage from the landfills, we can include an educational aspect," said Marchant. "It is a thrill and extremely rewarding to introduce this recycling effort so that volunteers can take it back to their own communities and start [the effort] there."
Return to Wednesday's 1999 EMB Report
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