UW-Whitewater nominated for state construction recycling award
Released: October 17, 2007
In light of the construction sweeping across campus, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater still remains true to its goal of having a sustainable campus. With a ninety-seven percent recycling rate for both Sayles and Baker Hall, the Miron Construction, the company contracted to build the new College of Business and Economics building, has been nominated for WasteCap's "Big Diverter Award."
This award honors those professionals and businesses who work to reduce, reuse and recycle construction and demolition debris.
"We are trying to maintain the environment," Pat Jankowski, administrative program manager for facilities and plant management, said. Although demolition yielded commendable recylable rates, Jankowski contends that it is not the end all means to a greener campus. "There is more work to be done: we will build the next residence hall with recyclable materials."
The outlook for a greener campus looks promising as the reusable rate for Salisbury Hall looks to exceed the ninety-percentile range. "I imagine it will be just as high because we used the same process," Jankowski said. Ken Kramer, construction manager for UW-Whitewater, says the school will use structural steel and concrete--both are recylable materials--for the new College of Business and Economics. All three buildings were demolished to make room for the new college.
From a construction standpoint, recycling materials is much more efficient than using a landfill. Concrete and structural steel can be reduced to gravel, which can then be used for roads and other construction purposes. "At a landfill, everything just sits there and nothing gets used," Kramer said. When materials are already at their discretion, construction companies avoid wasting time and energy digging up new resources.
Miron Construction extracted other reusables like cardboard, scrap metal, and untreated wood, among others, from the demolished buildings; cardboard will be taken to Southern Lakes Recycling in Elkhorn to make new paper products; untreated wood will brought to Compost Management in Delavan to be chipped and converted into landscape mulch. Scrap metal can be processed into new metal.
WasteCap is a statewide, nonprofit organization that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance to businesses. The award ceremony will be held at the Lussier Family Heritage Center in Madison, 5-7 p.m., Oct. 17.
For more information on the university's greening efforts, contact Jankowski at (262) 472- 5554.
- LeQuez Spearman,spearmanlt22@uww.edu
