It is a given that the one guaranteed chore with every construction job is the task of getting rid of the trash. Construction debris removal needs to be done, but - unfortunately - it takes time to get it done, and costs money without adding any profit.

Construction is a demanding industry that is marked by a large number of unique challenges. One of these includes finding the most efficient and cost-effective means of disposing of all the construction waste and debris that gets generated on every job.

In fact, cleaning and hauling off construction waste is a never ending job for contractors.

In addition to the cleaning, hauling and disposing of debris, job site safety should be uppermost in the minds of GCs, right before budgets and time frames. Which is another pressing reason for never neglecting the task of cleaning up and junk hauling.

Landfills Don't Need Your Construction Waste

How much building debris is there in a year?

According the EPA, contractors in the U.S. generate over 200 million tons of construction waste annually. However, the reality is that many types of waste materials generated from housing construction can be reused, refurbished, or recycled into usable products. In other words, everything doesn't need to end up in a landfill or dump site.

Creating a process for construction debris recycling can be beneficial on a number of levels.

Because of the value for both builders and contractors, and to the environment, contractors should develop efficient strategies to salvage useful materials for re-use:

• Instead of creating a pile of mixed materials from demolition or building, you can separate and salvage useful materials, including lumber, fixtures, hardware, appliances and masonry materials.
• This is especially useful for an existing structure through deconstruction. The systematic and careful removal of materials from structures can be salvaged for reuse or recycling.
• Outlets are available in many areas to collect or purchase used and salvaged building materials, and some junk hauling companies, such as Junk King, will take used building materials.

In addition, many construction waste materials can be effectively recycled:

• Wood can be recycled into reclaimed or composite wood products such as furniture and plastic/wood-composite decks, as well as mulch and other products.
• Wood from decks, roofing or other outdoor applications that is treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a hazardous substance, and should be disposed of and NOT reused, recycled or burned.
• Asphalt, masonry, concrete, and rubble can be recycled into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products.
• Metals, including steel, copper, and brass, are valuable commodities to recycle, especially in light of the current market for certain metals.

Recycling and re-purposing of construction waste does make a real difference. It is estimated that the amount of landfill saved by recycling just construction waste alone is equivalent to over 4, 300 acres 50 feet deep. That works out to over 3 billion square yards of landfill each year!

Here is an illustration of the typical best practices for construction and demolition (C&D) waste that is disposed of in the U.S. which brings to light that there is far more that could be diverted from our landfills:

Finding the Best Junk Hauling Firm for Your Construction Debris Removal

Job site debris removal and site clean-up might be considered “part of the job” for contractors, bit it really doesn’t have to be. When you consider that every hour your crew spends picking up debris, cleaning the site, and hauling and disposing of the material, is an hour NOT spent generating revenue on a project. And the bigger the job, the more the opportunity costs add up.

Add to that the possible costs of hazardous material disposal and even required training for your employees, the benefits of outsourcing these tasks become more attractive.

Do you have a current or upcoming project that will need construction trash clean-up and removal? If so, call Junk King! Our team specializes in construction trash removal. We can be at your facility in mere minutes, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.

And one of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle a much of the material we pick-up. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service. If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, give us a call at (707) 744-4254.