Waste Management Policy
The management and staff of Volcano Construction Services Ltd. are strong supporters of HRM’s landfill waste diversion program and as such have adopted the practice of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in our daily operations.
Source separation begins on our work sites with the removal of any resale and/or salvageable items prior to the demolition work proceeding. This would include the removal of items such as desks, chairs, light fixtures, vanities, cabinets etc. that may be part of our removal project. These items may be donated to local charities and/or sold/given to staff members and interested third parties. Our goal is to divert all items which are re-usable in nature from the local landfill facilities.
The source separation continues during our demolition work, and involves separating the salvageable items from demolition debris prior to trucking to a C&D facility. Demolition debris, which is normally separated on a work site, includes drywall, pulpwood ceiling tile, carpet, vinyl or sheet flooring and concrete products. Separation on work site translates into lesser tonnage disposal costs for our company and faster processing of waste at the C&D facility. The demolition debris, which is separated on site, is shipped either by truck or roll-off container to the Dartmouth or Goodwood location of Halifax C&D Recycling Ltd. All non-recyclable items such as household waste and garbage, which cannot be processed at a C&D facility, are taken to the HRM landfill site located in Otter Lake. For jobs that are outside of the Halifax Regional Municipality, we use disposal and/or C&D recycling facilities in the local communities when available.
The salvageable items are often re-used in our demolition operations, where there is always a need for good used lumber, replacement ceiling tiles, carpet for tracking mats etc. These re-usable items are trucked to our warehouse in the Burnside Industrial Park. Any scrap metals, including steel, copper, lead, aluminum, etc. are sorted, separated, and trucked to SNF Metals for recycling.
Part of our operations involves the removal and disposal of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, from both residential and commercial buildings. In accordance with the Nova Scotia Asbestos Waste Management Regulations, our asbestos waste is properly bagged and the friable asbestos waste is hauled to Arlington Heights C&D Landfill in West Hampton, Annapolis County. Any non-friable asbestos waste is disposed of at Halifax C&D’s Antrim Facility. For jobs that are outside of the Halifax Regional Municipality, we use approved asbestos waste disposal facilities in the local communities when available.
Our goal is to divert the majority of our debris from landfill sites, and to promote the re-use of good quality used building materials within the community. Management and staff are committed to this policy and continue to work together to ensure that our goal for waste management is achieved.