Construction companies have opportunities to work together to make sure building materials aren't going to waste in a circular economy on Vancouver Island.
The topic was one of the 'lightning talks' sessions at the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Nanaimo's Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
Gil Yaron, managing director of circular innovation at Light House, a Vancouver-based organization dedicated to advancing circular and regenerative practices, outlined a new building material exchange program on the Island. BMEx, headed by Yaron, connects construction sector companies that have excess or unwanted building materials with other companies that can use those materials in their operations.
"Our mission is to advance circular practices to the built environment, so basically, to introduce circular economic principles to how we build and use the building materials in our communities," he said.
Construction and demolition waste accounts for about one-third of all waste generated in communities, he said, as on average, about 10 per cent of material that goes into construction of a building is actually thrown out and not used in the construction process. As well, about 30,000 homes in Canada are demolished each year – a number now on the rise because of densification – which generate about 3 million tonnes of waste annually.
"Waste is a design flaw. Nature doesn't know the concept of waste. It's a human-made construct and it is a function of our linear economy where we take resources, we manufacture things, we use them … in buildings and homes and then we tear them down…" Yaron said. "What we're proposing is moving toward a circular economy … where these materials remain in circulation, we retain their value and keep them out of the landfill."
Keeping those materials out of landfills also avoid the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their decomposition.
BMEx works with construction industry companies to identify their waste materials and connects them with other companies that can use those materials in their building and manufacturing processes. The service is free for any participating business.
"We're essentially a match-making service," Yaron said. "Our team supports the facilitation of material exchanges to achieve the highest and best use of these materials … We only ask that the companies report back to us in terms of the types and volumes of materials … so that we can show the community the impact where this is happening."
Benefits for companies working with the program include the ability to generate revenue from otherwise waste materials, building local – sometimes unusual or unexpected – business relationships, cutting waste management costs such as landfill tipping fees, retaining carbon in the materials instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, reducing materials costs overall, preserving resources and supporting a circular company.
There are more than 750 companies engaged in the program, which operates on the central and south Island and includes more than 300 contractors. One of the project's services is a free-to-use online marketplace dedicated to the industry. Suppliers can list details about materials types and quantities that will be coming from a building demolition, for example, so potential buyers can plan ahead for their projects. Companies can also post requests for materials they need for upcoming projects.
Two BMEx Dragon's Den-type events are planned in Nanaimo on Nov. 5 and Victoria on Nov. 6.
"Companies are going to be … pitching either projects that they're developing where they need materials … or they have materials that they want to get rid of. They pitch and then the audience will be able to present solutions for them," Yaron said.
Replying to a question from the audience about whether other exchange programs for other industries already exist, Yaron cited exchange programs for furniture, textiles and food.
"This is not the beginning of reusing in the building sector," Yaron said. "We've have lots of people doing lots of great stuff. There are companies already on the Island, like [Demxx Deconstruction Inc.] and Habitat for Humanity. We're working with all these folks and we're trying to just elevate their efforts and fill in the gaps because there's a lot of low-value, marginal materials that aren't getting recirculated and are going to landfills."
To learn more about Light House and its building materials exchange program, visit www.light-house.org.
