Executive Committee Meeting

Posted on September 17, 2019

There will be an Executive Committee meeting this Wednesday, September 18 at 9 AM. The meeting will take place in the RCSWD administrative office at 1 Smith Rd, Rutland, VT 05701

Deconstruction to Save Money and Resources

Posted on August 26, 2019

DECONSTRUCTION-

TO SAVE MONEY AND RESOURCES

All materials are easier to reuse or recycle when they are sorted and separated. It’s cheaper to dispose of sorted building materials when they can be used beneficially, as opposed to sending them to the landfill.

Reusing Materials

With so many old buildings around Vermont, it’s not unusual to see a weathered barn with a slate roof kneeling by the side of the road. While pieces of buildings inevitably break, most parts can be reused repeatedly to benefit the local community. Unfortunately, usable building materials end up in landfills or incinerators every day from Construction and Demolition (C&D) projects that sacrifice conservation for speed. There are ways to conserve money and natural resources for these projects, though, such as Deconstruction and Reuse.

Deconstruction Works is a non-profit that will take apart your building piece by piece so that the most materials possible can be donated or sold, and reused for other projects. They have deconstructed entire churches, small backyard sheds, and even just interior spaces for residential and commercial customers. While their service may cost slightly more than quick demolition, the tax write off you receive from donating the materials can easily cover the extra dollars. If you have a project in mind, don’t hesitate to contact them to discuss the possibility of responsible deconstruction.

Wrecking ball demolition — Demolishing buildings quickly is bound to send more materials to the landfill as they are rendered unusable. Cedit: Paul Goyette (flickr ID: pgoyette) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Even before breaking ground for a new structure, there is an opportunity to ensure that it doesn’t end up going to waste after its first use. The EPA offers best management practices for the design and deconstruction of buildings to prevent these materials from entering the landfill. Some ideas include creating a disassembly plan, keeping materials at standard measurements, and minimizing the use of different materials, particularly adhesives and sealants. Starting a conversation early on with the building contractor is important to incorporate these ideas into the entire process.

Recycling Materials

sheehan — Sheehan Contractors C&D Recycling facility in England; Credit: Peter Craven [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Other than reusing building materials, recycling them into different applications is another alternative that can conserve resources. For instance, wood can be chipped and used as fuel in biomass facilities; asphalt and concrete can be crushed and incorporated as aggregate in new pavement; gypsum board (aka sheetrock) can be recycled right back into whole pieces again. Metal is easily recycled in most areas of the country with other scrap metal. These materials must be absolutely clean with no paint, adhesive or other contaminant residue for the best recyclability.

Locally, there are two facilities that will accept concrete, asphalt and other aggregate for recycling: Markowski Construction in Florence (802.483.6469) or Wilk Paving in Center Rutland (802.438.5454). Two facilities near Burlington receive additional sorted C&D materials that are recycled: Myers C&D Recycling Facility (802-655-4312) and the All Cycle Transfer Station (802-651-5412).

According to the Construction & Demolition Association, there are over 500 million tons of usable building and road construction materials recycled annually in the United States of America. That sounds like a lot, but it is difficult to measure how much C&D materials are put in landfills or incinerated, as they often are mixed with general Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). In 2018, Vermonters disposed of about 46,823 tons of C&D materials with MSW in the landfill, which is roughly half of the total C&D debris generated (source: 2018 VT Waste Characterization Study).

earth ships — The best of both worlds- Earth Ships can be built from reused materials, and broken down to be reused or recycled repeatedly. Credit: Biodiesel33 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Want to see more materials benefitting our communities locally and less going to landfills? Before tearing down a structure or renovating a room, call the Rutland County Solid Waste District to ask what your disposal options are for cleaner, sorted deconstruction debris: (802) 775-7209

Landfilling: an Overview

Posted on July 10, 2019

Fill the Land with Value, Not Waste

"You have one life and, like a tree, you can create abundance, a profusion. You are a known positive. No need to think of yourself as misplaced in the natural world, or that you cause destruction with your presence. Accept that deep in your heart and mind. Then go forward. Be successful. We hope to enjoy all that you share. And tell your children that things are looking up." -- William McDonough and Michael Braungart; The Upcycle

While there is an unprecedented amount of material going into landfills today, there are many opportunities to put items to beneficial use. Browse our website for some ideas to do so; this blog will inform you of the magnitude and character of bulk disposal in Vermont and the United States.

Landfilling in Vermont

In 2018, there were 422,258 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed of in Vermont. This doesn't include construction and demolition (C&D) disposal, and 70% of MSW and C&D in Vermont go to the state's only landfill in Coventry. Casella Waste Systems owns and operates the 78-acre landfill which is undergoing a proposal to expand 51 acres which would extend it's capacity for 22 years, depending on the amount of waste generated and accepted. Some materials in Vermont also end up in a New Hampshire landfill.

Landfilling in the U.S.

The following is taken directly from the Save On Energy web page on landfills:

Provided by SaveOnEnergy

Save $ and Spring into Special Recycling

Posted on April 25, 2019

With Earth Day (April 22) past and Green Up Day approaching (May 4), you are encouraged to rummage through your home and look for items that might need special recycling—at no cost to you! Items like household batteries, paint, or electronics (e-waste), and more can be dropped off at certain locations for free. Anyone have an old computer hanging around?

These items cannot be recycled in our regular recycling bins and should NOT be thrown into the trash! Vermont has something called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) that covers the cost of managing these products at the end of their useful life. Please visit https://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/solid to learn more what is included in EPR and to find out what can be recycled and where!

Green Up Day- May 4!

Posted on April 25, 2019

Any pick up of litter near your location or other problem areas (roadsides and parks, especially near rivers) is of great help. Keep Vermont beautiful by participating in Green Up Day and reducing your trash initially!

Green bags provided for this purpose can be dropped off for free on Saturday, May 4 at the Rutland Subaru dealer at 128 US-7, Rutland, VT 05701 or any transfer station. Anyone can pick up bags in front of the Rutland City Offices between 8 – 11 AM on May 4. The Rutland Regional Transfer station is at 14 Gleason Road, Rutland, VT 05701 and is open from 7 AM – 3 PM Monday through Saturday.

Thanks for all your help, and please remember to stay safe with these protocols. More information can be found at www.greenupvermont.org.

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