GreenPoint processing center helps solve landfill space problems

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By Peggy Mooney
Metro News

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    Bahm Demolition Inc. has opened GreenPoint Construction and Demolition Processing Center in Topeka.
    David Bahm, owner of Bahm Demolition as well as GreenPoint, says that nationwide, landfills are being exhausted of their capacities, and that few new landfills are opening to offset the space crisis.
    Meanwhile, municipal construction and demolition waste continues to flow in greater amounts than ever before.
    Bahm said that handling the city and county’s construction and demolition waste has become a major problem locally. And, with more waste being created on a daily basis, landfills are facing a capacity crisis.
    One sure way to minimize the waste capacity issue is to reduce the amount of construction and demolition landfill waste being put in the landfills, according to Bahm.
    Bahm, however, has found a solution for reducing the capacity at landfills in Topeka and Shawnee County, as well as the surrounding area. He is capitalizing on the benefits of processing the construction and demolition waste.
    Several years ago, Bahm began looking at the situation and worked to find a solution. After much thought and discussions with family and friends, he came up with the idea for the processing center.
    Bahm’s idea got a thumbs up from both city and county officials. Finding that there was interest from both city and county officials spurred Bahm to move forward with his idea. He opened GreenPoint in April.
    According to Bahm, he chose to locate the processing center close to downtown Topeka so that it would be central to the area. Being located in a centralized area would make it more accessible and convenient for those businesses needing to get rid of waste materials.
    Bahm says that GreenPoint is the first construction and demolition-processing center of its kind in the area.
    Business at GreenPoint is good. In fact, it is so good that Bahm plans to add four or five more new employees within the next week. Currently, there are seven employees at GreenPoint. Another three or four employees will be added within a six-month time period, Bahm said.
    Bahm says the company continues to grow and for that reason, he plans to add seven new roll-off containers before long. He explained that roll-off containers can be taken to the job site for disposal of waste materials and picked up later by the company.
    According to Bahm, to help get the company off the ground, GreenPoint received approximately $150,000 from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through the Solid Waste Management Competitive Plan Implementation Grant Program. Those monies were used to help pay for equipment, he said.
    GreenPoint also received a $140,000 low-interest loan from the City of Topeka. The loan came from a program that is operated by the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development. The low-interest loan will be paid back over a 10-year time span.
    Located at 1405 SE Madison, just minutes from downtown, the GreenPoint Construction and Demolition Processing Center accepts all types of construction and demolition waste, including, but not limited to shingles, concrete, sheet-rock, metals, masonry, carpet, wood, bricks, rock and construction-remodeling materials.
    The processing center serves residential, commercial and industrial entities in the city and county and bordering counties.
    The GreenPoint Construction Demolition Processing Center is a subsidiary of Bahm Demolition Inc. The company also owns and operates Bahm Construction Inc. The companies are family-owned and the original company has been in business for more than 30 years.
    GreenPoint is open from 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; and from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday.