Creating custom zero waste recycling solutions for like minded clients is what we live for here at Green Coast Rubbish. The team recently was hired by FPInnovations to demolish and recycle a number of modular bridge deck prototypes from their Vancouver research lab. This wouldn’t be an easy demolition – the decks are made of wood, metal and concrete so jack hammers and sledge hammers would be needed – but it was a smashing success!
FPInnovations
Let’s talk about FPInnovations for a moment because this is a very unique client whose values are fully aligned with Green Coast on environment and sustainability. FPInnovations is a private not-for-profit organization with laboratories in Montréal, Quebec City, and Vancouver that support the Canadian forest sector’s value chain through research and the development of technical solutions.
Developing a prototype of a modular bridge deck was one task within a larger project funded by the Government of BC and Natural Resources Canada. With the renewed interest in using timber in larger and taller buildings and the need to mitigate climate change through the selection and use of materials in the build environment, the goal of this project was to explore new ways of using timber in bridges, particularly bridges for resource roads (including logging roads). The idea was to develop a standard modular design for a bridge deck, prefabricated from commercially available materials, fabricated with existing equipment and existing skilled labour in BC, and able to be scaled to meet market demand.
The bridge decks recycled by the Green Coast team were ones that had been tested to failure and were ready for disposal.
The Challenge
FPInnovations was looking for a custom solution to dismantle and dispose of tested deck samples made of wood, concrete, and steel in an environmentally friendly way. Because this product is not yet on the marketplace, the Green Coast team was required to work with the staff at FPInnovations to develop a detailed job safety assessment that would also include working under COVID-19 requirements. There was a space available to do the demolition and wood and steel disposal bins at the Vancouver site but no facilities to dispose of concrete.
Green Coast Rubbish was fully up for the challenge! Creating custom zero waste recycling solutions is nothing new for the Green Coast Team. In fact, “it feels great to be asked to solve unique problems like this,” says Eamonn Duignan, President & CEO of Green Coast Rubbish. “That’s what gets me up.”
Recycled That
When all was said and done, the Green Coast team successfully separated a total of 13.7 tonnes of treated timber, concrete, and reinforcing steel from 7 modular bridge decks for recycling.
“The fact that Green Coast Rubbish was able to spend the time to take [the tested decks] apart was very important to us. As opposed to just taking the entire deck system and putting it into landfill.”
– Conroy Lum, FPInnovations
Video Montage – The Green Coast Team in Action
View the smashing video montage of the Green Coast team breaking up the bridge decks for zero waste recycling!
Get in Touch!
If you have a commercial, retail or residential recycling project in Metro Vancouver, Green Coast Rubbish has an experienced team and will make sure all the materials we remove are dealt with in the most environmentally-friendly manner. Safety during the pandemic for our staff and customers is first and foremost in our minds, and we will follow strict safety policies and protocols for COVID-19 to make sure everyone remains safe during the project or curbside pickup.
Contact us for more information at 604 230-4530 or pickup@greencoastrubbish.com and stay connected with our projects and activities by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
