Open Collections

Abstract

With a goal of informing the City of Vancouver’s solid waste management strategy, this report explores the best practice options for the separation and processing of clean wood waste from from construction, demolition and renovation activities and the potential end use options for these diverted wood materials. The policy instruments that effectively encourage these actions in jurisdictions similar to Vancouver were also identified. A literature review of academic articles, government documents, and consultant reports informed this research. The recommendations for the City of Vancouver, explored in further detail in the report, are as follows: • Source separation of wood waste is the most effective diversion strategy. By encouraging deconstruction methods over traditional demolition practices, the ease and efficiency of source separation can be improved considerably. • The market for recycled and reused construction and demolition waste products needs to be expanded. Establishing demand for these materials can be accomplished through institutional purchasing and encouraging a diversity of end use applications. • Developing market support infrastructure and expanding the distribution network for reused and recycled building materials is critical for raising their market share. The City’s Deconstruction Hub is a great starting point for expanding the local market capacity for reused and recycled wood building materials.