The aim of the new Island initiative is to keep construction site waste materials—including lumber, brick, and carpet—out of landfills, and at the same time, reduce the cost for building companies.

Lighthouse, a Vancouver-based company, recently launched the Building Material Exchange (BMEx) program on the South and Central Island, through funding from the CRD, the Nanaimo Regional District, and the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

The program, which is entirely free to use, aligns with the CRD’s goal to divert construction materials away from Hartland Landfill, especially as dump space increasingly becomes a concern. Wood and wood products comprise the largest share of the CRD’s overall waste, with construction materials making up one-third of the region’s waste. 

Victoria began the first phase of its deconstruction bylaw in 2022, ensuring buildings are “deconstructed” rather than demolished, which keeps materials intact. While this process takes more time than simply knocking a building down, it could save roughly 3K tonnes of materials from landfills each year, according to the city. In July, the CRD enacted a bylaw banning asphalt shingles and treated wood from disposal at Hartland.

BMEx will work as a middleman to help construction companies find a home for their salvageable materials. Through the program, construction companies are “matched,” pairing a company in search of materials with a company looking to get rid of said materials.

Gil Yaron, Lighthouse’s managing project director, says he hopes the program can address how 40% of BC’s landfills are composed of construction materials. The program will work mostly with Island companies for now but could expand in the future, he said. However, he says it’s a project with with “no borders”—meaning even though it primarily focuses on the South and Central Island, BMEx won’t turn its nose up to a company looking to get rid of waste on the North Island or even the Mainland, as long as the materials are diverted from the landfill.

“The bigger the community, the better,” Yaron said.

His team has spoken with more than 700 companies on the Island to identify which ones had the most waste to get rid of—and which ones would like to receive some.

Companies can get involved now or can join one of the upcoming challenge events hosted in Nanaimo on Nov. 5 and in Victoria on Nov. 6.

“It's basically like Dragon's Den, where companies will pitch either solutions, if they need materials, or they want to go circular and introduce recycled materials into their products that they're developing,” Yaron said.