Bielinski Homes and Prairie Tree Landscaping save more than trees
October 18, 2005

Over 40 engineers, contractors and construction professionals gathered on Oct. 13 at Heritage Hills subdivision in Waukesha to learn about innovative recycling efforts by Bielinski Homes, southeastern Wisconsin's largest home builder, and Prairie Tree Landscaping of Elkhorn.

WasteCap Wisconsin is working with Bielinski and Prairie Tree to divert waste from home construction by grinding and reusing it on home sites and separating it for recycling. Lumber, drywall and concrete are placed in a grinder and the resulting material is used in mulch beds, as a soil amendment and under driveways respectively. Cardboard, metal and vinyl are separated for recycling into new products.

"So far, we've saved 3,987 trees and diverted 2,300 tons of cardboard, drywall, concrete, metal and wood from landfills," Jamie Stilling, co-owner of Prairie Tree Landscaping said. "We're saving more than just Waukesha's natural resources; we're saving time, money and creating safer work environments for our crews," Stilling added.

"Prairie Tree Landscaping and Bielinski Homes are showing great success with their recycling program," Susan Buchanan, executive director of WasteCap Wisconsin, a non-profit waste management organization working with Prairie Tree Landscaping and Bielinski Homes, said. "They're saving money through avoided disposal costs and they've exceeded their goal by recycling 60% of their construction waste material," Buchanan said.

While standing in the rain, attendees watched as the grinder broke down scrap wood and removed nails with a magnet. The resulting mulch will be used in landscaping on Bielinski Home sites in Heritage Hills.

Jim Birmingham from Recycle America Alliance attended the event to announce a new vinyl recycling program with WasteCap Wisconsin currently researching the recycling potential of vinyl siding, another significant waste material on residential construction sites.

"The value of recycled plastic is rising," Birmingham said. "And recycled vinyl is just one of the plastics we are beginning to research."

The vinyl recycling program, funded by The Vinyl Institute and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is the first-of-its-kind in Wisconsin.

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