Proper disposal of construction waste is a critical part of completing a renovation or new build and preserving the health of the environment.
“The importance of a professional construction waste removal company is that we can work closely with the customer to develop a construction and demolition program that focuses on recycling,” said Dan Garbutt, general manager of Garbutt Enterprises in Minden.
“As part of this initiative, materials that would normally be landfilled get recycled and sorted. Long gone are the days of just taking demolition waste or any waste for that matter to a pit to be burned under the midnight sun.”
Garbutt Enterprises was formed by Dan’s father in 1970.
“He started with a pickup truck then purchased a single-axle straight truck and things have just steadily grown from there,” said Garbutt. “Garbage is in my name and in my blood I guess.”
Waste disposal businesses can be called on for something as simple as hauling away a toilet and as complex as full demolition. For example, Garbutt will bring waste bins to a construction site to be filled by the customer or bring bins and perform the cleanup for house and garage cleanouts and partial or full home demolitions.
Service assessments can usually be done over the phone but for some jobs, disposal contractors will require photos and possibly a site visit.
Demolition projects require permits and preparation, said Garbutt.
“Safety protocols and proper disposal methods [must] be utilized, you have to check everything to make sure you’re not dealing with asbestos or other hazardous materials. We remove all windows before demolition jobs and do a full cleanup right down to the last nail. If a structure isn’t being rebuilt, we will generally put grass seed down and you would never know there was anything there.”
Keep in mind that certain materials cannot be placed in the waste bins. These include hazardous waste (paint, oil jugs, batteries etc.), tires, concrete, propane tanks, dirt and tree stumps.
Disposal services may be quoted in various ways. Garbutt bins are priced for rental plus disposal fees, or a flat-rate charge if the clients know they’re going to have a full bin. Cleanup services are priced in the same way with labour costs added. Demolition services are quoted based on the amount of waste, heavy equipment rates and labour. Service quotes include any municipal recycling and waste disposal tipping fees.
Whatever your plans, consider booking disposal services as soon as possible since service capacity has been seriously stretched during the pandemic.
“The demand for bins has been almost overwhelming at times with all of the renovations, new builds and everyone just having spare time to clean up around the house,” said Garbutt.
