Episode
235: From Trash to Power: Diverting Construction Waste at Industrial Scale
- Published
- May 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2120
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://practiceofarchitecture.com/podcast/
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Summary
How can the AEC industry turn 41 million tons of annual wood waste into a circular economy powerhouse? In this episode of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee ventures into the construction and manufacturing side of the built environment to speak with Todd Thomas , founder and CEO of Woodchuck . While the podcast typically focuses on architectural practice, Todd’s work at the intersection of AI and sustainability offers a glimpse into a future where waste is no longer an afterthought, but a valuable commodity. Todd explains the staggering scale of the problem: over 41 million tons of wood are sent to U.S. landfills every year, accounting for nearly 40% of all landfill volume. He details how Woodchuck uses advanced AI platforms to identify, sort, and divert this material at industrial scale. By bridging the gap between construction sites and manufacturing outlets, Todd is building the infrastructure necessary to move the industry away from a "take-make-waste" model and toward a truly circular economy. The conversation also touches on the speed of execution in the tech world versus the slower pace of traditional architectural practice. Todd shares insights into how Woodchuck was "spun up" quickly to meet market demands and why architects need to start thinking about the material life cycle, and deconstruction, long before a project breaks ground. "If we don't have a way to divert it, it goes to a landfill. It's that simple. And when it goes to a landfill, it produces methane, which is 80 times more potent than CO2. We have to treat waste as a resource if we want to change the math on sustainability." — Todd Thomas This episode is a fascinating look at how adjacent industries are solving the problems architects design for. Todd emphasizes that while architects have the vision,…