Spokane Valley Mall Becoming Environment Friendly Recycling Maximized; Waste Is Minimized

The Spokane Valley Mall is being finished with the environment in mind.

That’s according to the mall’s developer, JP Realty. The Salt Lake City-based company has paired up with the Department of Ecology to pilot a program that will maximize recycling and minimize waste at the 780,000-square foot mall under construction along Interstate 90.

“Our goal is to recycle excess construction materials and to use resource-efficient alternative materials,” said Jim Wavada of the Department of Ecology.

The program has been in effect for one week, he said.

“We look for suppliers and, where possible, local recycled materials suppliers,” he said.

Those materials include recycled ceramic tiles, floor heating systems and shaved-down two-by-four lumber.

Experts from the construction industry, waste management firms and local government officials were recruited by the department to form the Resource Efficient Building and Remodeling (REBAR) Council. Members form teams that work with property owners, architects, contractors and subcontractors who request help.

In March, one of the teams met with the mall’s site manager, Richard Ryberg. The team negotiated an agreement to provide mall tenants’ contractors with on-site services to separate and recycle construction materials.

The agreement specifies that as many as 70 contractors will participate, said Wavada.

Last month, trash and waste from the mall construction littered a half-mile stretch of the Centennial Trail near Sullivan Road. The mall’s developer, Rex Frazier, ordered crews to clean up the mess within 48 hours. Today, there’s no construction litter in sight.

Tenant construction is under way at the site. Construction on the three anchor stores - Sears, J.C. Penney and The Bon Marche - is nearing completion, and contractors will soon turn the buildings over to the respective retailers.

The mall is slated to open August 13.

Because of the timeline, the recycling effort will focus on the materials contractors use most: gypsum board, metals, cardboard and wooden pallets.

Sunshine Disposal of Spokane will provide the covered containers for the first three materials. Sunshine will also weigh the recycled goods and report to REBAR the amount of waste being generated. The wooden pallets will be stacked next to the containers and picked up as needed by a local recycler.

Wavada visits the mall site daily to make sure recyclables and non-recyclables aren’t mixed together. Other REBAR team members go to the site to educate contractors who are new to the site about the program. The teams will produce a report about the amount of money saved by the program.

Wavada said he’s hoping to have a sign installed at the site that displays the amount of waste being recycled every day by contractors.

, DataTimes