Village trustees are forging ahead as one of the first Chicago area communities to encourage builders to recycle construction debris.
Last week, trustees directed recycling and solid waste coordinator Jon Franz to investigate ways of developing a plan that may require builders to recycle wood, metal and other items left over from construction jobs. Franz may report back with a plan as early as next month aimed at preventing massive amounts of debris from being buried in landfills.
Trustees Bill McLeod said the move is a particularly timely one for Hoffman Estates to make in light of its rapid residential and business development.
“I would like to try to get going on this rather than wait for somebody to come up with a program 20 years from now,” McLeod said.
Recycling construction debris would represent a new frontier in recycling that has not yet gained much acceptance.
In an August meeting with village staff and industry representatives, both sides agreed construction recycling was a worthy goal but that the cost and convenience to builders still needed to be explored.
