How much wood could a Woodchuck divert?

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how Woodchuck AI is helping contractors turn construction waste, like lumber products, into savings and renewable energy. 

In a new episode of Contractor Outlook™ sponsored by SRS Distribution Inc., Heidi J. Ellsworth talks with Todd Thomas about how his company, Woodchuck AI, is helping contractors manage job site waste more efficiently. This is now the third year that Woodchuck has been operating. Their story starts back in Michigan with North Star Clean Energy, the state public utility renewable energy branch. Todd recalled, “North Star Clean Energy does solar farms, wind farms and bioenergy (burning biomass to generate electricity) facilities in the state of Michigan. And their goal is to get the state off petroleum products, which requires finding a large source of energy.” 

Looking at this issue, Todd and his team turned their gaze to what’s going to waste in our landfills and if there was a solution there. What they found was that in a single year, “the United States sent forty-two million tons of wood waste from construction sites to the landfill.” Not only is this a waste of a biomaterial that could be used to fuel our energy needs, it’s also expensive. Todd explained, “When we send things to landfills, we’re usually paying two dollars to bury one dollar's worth of material. That adds up. Across the entire United States we spent two billion dollars to bury one billion dollars worth of materials in landfills just last year.”  

And from there Woodchuck AI was born. Todd described how they fit into this story, sharing, “Woodchuck works with construction and manufacturing companies to divert their waste from landfills and instead convert it into biomass that can be used to generate renewable energy.” 

What does this look like on the job site? It looks like unique containers for each material, one for wood, one for plastic, one for cardboard and one for metal. From there, as a construction crew works in the field, they simply take a few extra moments to sort their debris as they go. Helping them is an AI-powered camera in each container, which alerts them when material is mixed up and put in the wrong place.  

Once the containers are filled, the Woodchuck team is able to take them to places, like North Star Clean Energy, that can use the materials to create more energy. The best part? Taking the time to sort doesn’t just help contractors feel better about their environmental impact, it also helps their bottom line. Todd explained:  

When you have all your debris and materials mixed together, it costs you money to have someone haul it away. But by sorting it and having us take it, you avoid those costs entirely... In general, our clients save 30%-40% by working with us! 

With this type of monetary savings, combined with the knowledge that you are helping build a more renewable, sustainable future, working with Woodchuck becomes a no brainer. 

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more!