The Builder's Field Guide

Summary

by Peter Yost
NAHB Research Center

Why Construction Waste Management?

Cost - Even though your disposal costs represent only about 0.5 percent of a home's total construction costs, consider that waste management costs could represent as much as five percent of your profit on a home. Waste reduction can reduce your material purchases; recycling can reduce your total disposal costs.

Efficiency - You pay twice for materials wasted on your jobsites - once for the original purchase and again when the usable material is hauled off for disposal. It's not difficult to find useful building materials "hidden" within the six-foot-high sides of site dumpsters.

Resource Conservation - Roughly 80 percent of a home builder's waste stream is recyclable. Home builders can do their part to conserve natural resources and landfill space by looking at their waste stream and seeing resources instead of refuse.

Liability - The general contractor bears some responsibility for any waste generated at jobsites. It is important that you protect your company from any potential liability resulting from unauthorized or illegal disposal of wastes, particularly potentially hazardous wastes.>

Marketing - Builders who make the effort to build resource-efficient homes should take credit for their work. Distinction in the marketplace can lead to positive press and home sales.

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