Waste Management has launched a Diversion and Recycling Tracking tool (DART) to help project planners, contractors, architects and building owners measure their green performance during a construction, renovation, and demolition project. The service, which is available in both Canada and the U.S., operates online and is accessible 24-hours a day to monitor C&D recycling, tabulate total diversion rates and provide documentation to support LEED certification.
At every construction site, builders have an opportunity to divert a variety of C&D traditional items from landfill, such as wood, rock, metal, cardboard and plastic. In addition, there may be non-traditional items that can be put to reuse, like shingles, concrete, fiberboard and paneling.
With so many substances to manage, calculating total diversion has traditionally been a time-consuming process, involving extensive labour, math and Excel spreadsheets. DART technology was created by Waste Management to measure recycling and diversion easily; set clear benchmarks for companies to exceed on future projects, contributing to sustainable operations long-term; and allow builders to promote their environmental performance.
While DART has been on a soft launch since midyear, it has already had some successes. SpawMaxwell, a Balfour Beatty company with interior construction services across Texas, became the first adopter of the DART tool, using it to track their performance throughout construction of the Choice Energy building in Houston, TX. Through sound logistical planning and tracking, the project reached a diversion rate of more than 90 per cent.
“Success is only meaningful if it can be measured,” said Jim Halter, vice president of construction solutions for Waste Management. “With the DART tool, contractors and architects can really zero in on what they are diverting and where there is opportunity to improve. We are not just tracking performance for the present, but also setting benchmarks to be surpassed in the future.”