Pete Brands (left) and Travis Blomberg (right) with WasteCap Resource Solutions
What happens when you dismantle a building? In most cases, demolition is the end of the road, but for local nonprofit WasteCap Resource Solutions, that’s where it all begins. Since the 1990s, WasteCap has taken a unique approach to the three R’s by turning construction and demolition waste into resources both physical and financial. Executive Director Travis Blomberg led Off the Cuff on a tour through the WasteCap warehouse at 2123 W. Michigan St., Suite 100, to discuss the host of waste reduction and recycling assistance services the organization provides statewide and throughout the Midwest.
What is the vision and purpose of WasteCap?
Our mission is to provide waste reduction and recycling assistance for the benefit of business and the environment. Our vision is to transfer waste into resources. When we started about 20 years ago, we recognized that over 40% of the material in the landfill was from construction and demolition waste, so our organization, along with many other organizations at the time, worked with general contractors, builders, construction companies and waste haulers to find a solution for this. A lot of it resulted in onsite source separation, reusing materials onsite when necessary and really focusing on the construction and demolition portion.
Since then, we’ve gotten into a lot of different realms. Zero-waste consulting is one of them, where we go into organizations like manufacturing operations or academic campuses to manage their waste streams and make sure each stream gets diverted. That’s more operational, where they have the same waste streams coming through day in and day out and saying, instead of throwing this plastic away, how can I recycle it? Is there beneficial reuse for it?
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At the heart of this whole thing is how can we not only divert this material from the landfill, but how can we save you money in the process, whether it’s avoided landfill fees, rebates on the actual material or reusing the material.
What services do you offer?
The four departments we plan to offer in the next six months are deconstruction, salvage services, the retail store and Do It Yourself, in which WasteCap partners with Fox 6 News to provide upcycling and reuse tutorials using materials in the warehouse.
Deconstruction—the systematic dismantling of a structure aimed at maximizing the amount for reuse and recycling—and salvage is where it starts. Architectural salvage—including materials such as beams, built-in cabinets, tubs and sinks—is a main focus of ours, looking at what materials have value to be resold. For deconstruction and salvage efforts, it’s about getting more labor on a project, which adds more jobs.
Once those materials are done, typically they go to a store like ours. And because we’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit we can give those companies a tax-deductible donation when they send those materials to us. It’s a niche market and we’re looking to expand that.
What results have you seen from these efforts?
WasteCap’s construction and demolition projects are achieving an average 88% recycling rate, according to the website. This means we’ve recycled an equivalent of 519 miles of dumpsters placed end-to-end, which would almost span the width of Wisconsin, twice. An equivalent of 402,419 trees have been saved by recycling wood and cardboard. This equals, in total, 1.25 billion pounds of waste.
WasteCap’s warehouse has a wide selection of architectural salvage. It’s open to the public Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. DIY tutorials and a full list of services can be found on the WasteCap website. For more information, visit wastecap.org.
