Allied Waste Introduces Construction Waste Management Service

Citing demand from project owners and the belief that it’s the “right thing to do,” Allied Waste Industries, Inc. is weaving the US Green Buildings Council’s LEED Rating System into its day-to-day operations. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Allied Waste is the second largest waste management firm in the U.S. It is a member of the US Green Building Council and the Green Roundtable, based in Cambridge, MA.

In the Great Lakes region, through SunSet Waste Services, and in the Northeast region, through BFI Waste Services, the company is implementing a copyrighted plan through which it takes on the responsibility of construction waste management. “We currently have several LEED Gold and Silver projects under our belts, plus a few Certified,” notes Brian Skehan, LEED consultant for BFI’s Northeast region.

“Our waste management plan removes one of the big concerns for contractors doing LEED projects,” he says. Allied Waste examines the unique conditions of each project, including the green expectations for it. The team chooses between a source separation and a commingled recycling plan. At the beginning of each project, Allied coordinates and marks recycling containers and educates the work force on site. The team also begins documenting the weights and percentages of debris that is salvaged or recycled and debris that is sent to a landfill; records are kept according to the parameters established by LEED Materials and Resources credit 2, for construction waste management. Allied reports on its progress using a “waste stream report” on a quarterly, monthly or weekly basis. Upon completion of the project, Allied develops a cost analysis, “a valuable tool for estimators on future LEED projects,” according to Skehan.

“The most important lesson learned is that education, top to bottom in a construction organization, is paramount for success in LEED,” he says. He also notes the importance of ensuring that the documentation process is easy for constractors. Mark Steenbergen, senior estimator for contractor Triangle, which worked with Sunset during the construction of the LEED Gold Herman Miller MarketPlace in Zeeland, MI., used the LEED reporting service to track construction and demolition waste for the project. Mark regularly reported a list of dump loads with the weight and location of each disposal area and what was disposed of there. “Everything went well, and it was easy to document the information,” says Steenbergen.

Allied doesn’t charge customer a higher rate for this customized LEED reporting service. As Skehan sees it, this is “the future in the large markets for new construction.” He projects that a similar waste management plan will eventually be incorporated into Allied’s national plan. “This is something we take very seriously.”

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Allied Waste: www.disposal.com
Brian Skehan: brian.skehan@awin.com

FROM Environmental Building News, a SustainableBusiness.com Content Partner