Regent Park, a 50 year old housing project, in Toronto, Canada was in need of a new concept. It will be replaced with modern townhouses and apartment buildings, but first the old buildings are undergoing a major recycling effort.
“We saved cabinets, fridges, stoves and windows,” commented Don Bremner, president of Restoration Environmental Contractors, which finished the first stage of demolition this fall. “We recycled 94.7% of the debris.”
The revitalization effort will take on the project of replacing six square city blocks. The site is a 10 hectare area bordered by Dundas, Parliament, Oak and Sackville streets on the city’s east end.
The aim of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), the lead on the project, was the meet the standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification according to project director Liz Root.
Each building was first inspected for asbestos, and this was removed to hazardous waste facilities.
Regent’s Park workers also took away much of anything that was immediately useful such as fire extinguishers, cabinetry, doorknobs, and appliances. They are using it to replace items in the current buildings in the short term.
Ms. Root explained that the construction industry is now generally recycling half of its waste. She went on to comment that market conditions were now encouraging people to recycle as it is cheaper to recycle than to tip in a landfill.
|
|
