the waste dossier
- Marie Francis
- May 2
- 4 min read
There's a reality of the construction industry that we often avoid facing: every time we build, renovate, or demolish, we produce a considerable amount of waste. And, contrary to what one might think, renovation is often worse than new construction in this respect, because we tear things down before rebuilding, we mix the materials to be removed with those to be installed, and nobody has time to dedicate to sorting when a construction site is moving quickly.
There's also a fundamental problem with our consumption habits: we often replace a kitchen or bathroom because it's cheaper than renovating, not because it's necessary. Materials in perfect condition end up in the trash because we lack the time and the system to recycle them.
To change habits, we must first examine and highlight the numbers. According to data from RECYC-QUÉBEC, the construction, renovation, and demolition sector generates approximately 3.5 million tonnes of waste annually in Quebec . Of this total, more than 1.6 million tonnes are directly landfilled, without even passing through a sorting centre. Quebec's waste management policy set a target of recovering 70% of construction waste. In 2023, the actual rate was around 26%. The gap is enormous, and it won't close on its own.
What makes this problem particularly difficult to solve is how the materials end up in the containers. On most construction sites, wood, gypsum, metal, plastic, packaging, insulation, and various other waste materials are all mixed together in a single container. Once mixed, these materials contaminate each other. Wood with gypsum stuck to it can no longer be used as wood. Contaminated gypsum can no longer be recycled. The result is a container full of potentially recoverable materials destined for landfill, not because there's no processing system in place, but because they shouldn't have been mixed together in the first place.
The solution, simple in principle but demanding in terms of organization, is called source separation. Instead of a single container, containers or bins dedicated to each type of material are planned from the initial design stage of the construction site: wood on one side, gypsum on the other, metals, packaging, and non-recyclable waste. Each material is sorted as it is collected. The logistics require advance planning, team training, and collection partners capable of managing separate waste streams.
Pilot projects conducted right here in Brome-Missisquoi have demonstrated that this approach can divert up to 75% of waste from landfills on residential construction sites, and up to 80% on new construction projects. These aren't theoretical figures: they are results obtained in the field, under real-world conditions, with ordinary contractors (like us!) who were committed to doing things differently.
However, there's one more "notch" that's particularly relevant in renovation: deconstruction. Rather than demolishing and then sorting through the debris, deconstruction involves carefully and methodically dismantling a building, or part of a building, so that the materials can be salvaged before they're damaged. Floors, doors, window frames, brick, wood, hardware, paneling: all of this has real value if you take the time to remove it properly instead of smashing everything with a sledgehammer.
See this short film from Recyc-Québec on the subject:
Deconstruction costs more than demolition. That's a fact, and it's worth stating clearly. It requires more labor, more time, and more rigorous organization. But this additional cost must be considered in light of something too often forgotten: the materials recovered won't have to be manufactured again elsewhere. Each recovered material represents a saving of its own intrinsic carbon, as well as all the energy and resources that would have been needed to produce it new. From this perspective, the additional cost of deconstruction isn't an extra expense; it's the price of not wasting what already exists.
The hierarchy of priorities in construction material management is, first, direct reuse (giving a material a second life without transformation), then repurposing, and finally recycling. Landfilling remains the last resort. This logic is present in environmental certifications like LEED, and it's also been part of how we at Construction Rocket have been trying to approach our construction sites for years. On a recent project, we diverted over 80% of the materials destined for landfill to these recycling streams . This result required, above all, rigor, organization, a committed team, and clients who truly wanted to do things differently, not just tick the "environmental" box. It's this combination that makes all the difference.
And this can't be achieved without the collaboration of companies committed to offering more turnkey solutions to support builders in this process, with suitable containers, planned logistics, and expanding regional sorting centers. Écotri Désourdy, based in Bromont, is one of these players that has decided to go beyond simply renting containers to build a genuine construction materials recovery system, from collection to reuse. This is the kind of initiative that deserves recognition and support.
What remains to be done is to standardize the requirement: source separation should become automatic, not the exception. A clean, well-organized worksite, where materials are carefully managed, is also a sign of professionalism. And in an industry that still produces too much waste, it's a concrete, immediate, and measurable way to do better.
Here are some links to further your research:
pilot project for sorting in progress
