91ÊÓƵ

The costs and project deadlines of construction work take most of the headlines, while the sustainability peg usually focuses on LEED certification and such features as solar panels or water waste management. The topic of just how much gets wasted among reusable materials, however, is catching more attention following a .

The story looks at Clean Away Disposal, a company that provides waste removal services to job sites and puts to use materials, from drywall to rebar, that would otherwise be junked. In Portland, the keeps an eye on unnecessary waste among construction work, and its website has various resources to help local general and sub-contractors find a use for good material that would otherwise hit a landfill.

The report mentions an unnamed, 5,000-square-foot restaurant that “yielded 12,344 pounds of waste, including 7,440 pounds of wood, 1,414 pounds of cardboard, and 500 pounds of gypsum wallboard” in illustrating the point that about half of building and demo debris is still usable after the job ends. Earlier this week, an , and that will include a rise in the number of companies dedicated to the salvage, reuse and conservation of materials.

The for these services is respectable, and there is always talk of how to stay ahead of the green curve amid the City of Roses. One has to wonder what the impact of this trend will be for, say, the Columbia River Crossing, which from Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood regarding its environmental impact.

More information about construction waste management in Portland may be found , which was penned with the assistance of Portland and Seattle city agencies.