Building rubbish

A building site is not a pretty place.

Our builders wanted to bury the rubbish they left, as was normal for them. They usually dig a pit and throw everything in there to clear up.

We couldn’t countenance them digging leftover plaster, plastics, insulation and chemicals into our croft soil so asked them to leave their rubbish for us to dispose of. Can you image the pollution that this would have caused if we’d let them do it? There is no AWAY. Just because it’s covered over by a thin layer of soil doesn’t mean it’s not still leaching toxicity into the ground and harming wildlife.

As such, over the last three years the piles of building rubbish have steadily built up around the house as trades have come and gone. Pallets, broken slates, empty tubs of adhesive, sodden plasterboard, bits of wood, plastic wrapping, tile offcuts.. you name it, we have it.

We’ve often been peering at the view through a mountain of building rubbish. Its really caused me anxiety at times but until now there’s been no easy or cost effective way of disposing of it.

But today the first skip arrived, dragged bumping noisily up our steep croft track, and we started the mammoth job of sorting the building rubble through and clearing up. We are going to need a few skips to complete this job as our efforts this afternoon with only a few hours work have already half filled this first one. And we’re only a small way through .

We’re keeping anything that can be sensibly reused. All wood offcuts and old pallets are being segregated for croft repurposing or firewood. Broken slates are kept for plant labels or plant bed or pot drainage. Rotten plasterboard, plastic wrapping, empty adhesive tubs, old irn bru tins and building rubble are being thrown away.

I’m holding fast to that vision of a stone terrace with some comfy outdoor seats on it, heathers and sea buckthorn planting and a clear view to the horizon. But for now, it’s heavy labour, aching backs and rolled-up sleeves.