How Green is Your Insulator?

At Southland, we not only talk the “Green” talk, we also walk the walk.

Think of the construction and home industry for a moment. What is one thing that comes to mind? If its garbage and construction scrap, you are not alone. According to the EPA, renovation of existing structures and keeping them up to date is estimated to generate over 40 percent of total construction and demolition debris. Combine renovation waste with the debris from new construction and the volume continues to rise.

The leaders Southland Insulators came to the rescue of Mother Earth in 1998 - before “going green” was popular. Southland instituted a recycling program to dramatically reduce the waste generated through insulation projects. 

Southland’s extensive recycling program includes:

• Southland’s team bringing back all trash and scraps from jobs they install, rather than filling a dumpster at the project location. 
• Fiberglass insulation pieces are separated from other scrap. These pieces are ground up to make blowing wool for installation in attics.
• Cardboard is separated and compacted for recycling.
• Plastic from the insulation packaging is also separated and compacted.
• The 50-gallon steel drums from their foam division is dripped dry and crushed to six inches high and recycled as scrap steel.
• All wood pallets received from various manufacturers are returned to Greenfiber, a cellulose insulation manufacturer, to reload their product on for future deliveries.

Although these may seem like small efforts, reducing waste on each project creates a significant environmental impact:

• Southland Insulators delivers regular loads of 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of plastic from insulation packaging to recycling centers rather than to landfills.
• They have sent over a quarter of a million pounds of scrap to recyclers, rather than to local landfills. 

We welcome the public to visit our location to learn more about our recycling program. To schedule a tour, please call during normal business hours.