Madison Gas & Electric shows the way to recycling success
by WasteCap Staff

How would you like to achieve a 90 percent savings in disposal costs on your next construction project?

That is exactly what Madison Gas and Electric Company did by implementing an aggressive construction waste recycling program during the construction of their West Campus Cogeneration Facility, showing real environmental stewardship and earning the Governor's Award for Excellence in Environmental Performance.

In Fall 2003, Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) and its construction management team, with assistance from WasteCap Wisconsin, implemented an effective and efficient recycling program that achieved a 75% recycling rate, converted 2,037 tons of material headed for area landfills into valuable resources, resulting in a project savings of $103,651 - a 90% savings in disposal costs over a 20-month period.

Primarily targeting concrete, wood, metal and cardboard, the largest sources of construction waste, MGE's recycling program also included provisions for recycling office paper and cardboard along with cans and bottles from project eating areas. All materials were separated from the general waste stream and then processed accordingly. While much of this material could be sent to landfills, the West Campus Cogeneration Plant project proves why recycling is beneficial to the environment and the bottom line. Not only were they able to save money and make their construction site more efficient, they demonstrated a real environmental commitment.

"The movement to recycle construction and demolition waste is on the rise, but by no means is it wide spread," said Susan Buchanan, Executive Director of WasteCap Wisconsin. "We are hoping that successes like those achieved by MGE will pave the way for other construction projects to recycle as well."

MGE's successes were not achieved by simply using different waste receptacles to separate materials on site, but rather resulted from a combination of effective communication, innovation, and dedication by all parties involved.

"Having an owner and a management team dedicated to the success of a recycling program is key to its success," said Ralph McCall, Project Manager for WasteCap Wisconsin and the MGE recycling program. "Significant recycling achievements can only come from a collaborative team effort."

Throughout construction of the West Campus Cogeneration Facility, not only did the facility's owner, MGE, show steadfast dedication to making the recycling program a success, but the prime contractors (AZCO, JF Ahern, JP Cullen & Sons, and Westphall & Company, Inc.), the site services contractor (Holland Construction), the site safety coordinator (ProActive Safety Consultants), and the waste hauler (Pellitteri Waste Systems, Inc.) all demonstrated a strict commitment to the program's implementation.

In addition to commitment, key elements to implementing a successful recycling program like MGE's include education of all site workers, continual program encouragement and reinforcement, and innovation. Throughout the 20-month recycling program, MGE educated all workers on the site and encouraged worker participation by periodically sharing the program's accomplishments.

"Keeping workers informed and motivated significantly increases the effectiveness of the program," said McCall. Additionally, program coordinators worked closely with Pellitteri Waste Systems to design and implement specialized waste collection techniques that contributed significantly to the program's success.

"As with all construction projects, the construction of MGE's West Campus Cogeneration Facility presented the recycling program with many unique challenges, including space limitations," said McCall. "However, not only were we able to work through those challenges, we were able to turn them into significant recycling and financial successes, a feat that is possible on most all construction projects."

If you would like to see similar recycling and financial successes and results on your own construction sites, try following the "Keys to Construction Site Recycling Success" listed below and contact WasteCap Wisconsin for more information.

Keys to Construction Site Recycling Success: Lessons from the MGE West Campus Cogeneration Facility Recycling Program
1. Put a construction waste recycling program into place early in a project.
2. Maintain an effective and efficient working relationship between the recycling program coordinator and the on-site construction contractor.
3. Include recycling guidelines in the new worker orientation.
4. Produce regular recycling progress reports for site workers and contractors.
5. Emphasis on recycling at regular construction planning meetings is a useful tool for contractor education and program awareness.
6. Highlight that construction waste recycling, while a very small part of a construction project, can pay large dividends in terms of project savings and positive community relations.

For more details MGE's West Campus Cogeneration Facility's Recycling Program please view the project's final report at http://www.wastecapwi.org/canddprojects.htm.