At Blue Pencil Collective®, we are incredibly intentional about architecture and interior design.

Good design is about so much more than a space. It impacts your life every day. And environmentally conscious design can actually make the world a better place!

Let’s think about this. Do you generally feel better when the things in your life are in harmony or chaos? Unless you are a total chaos-seeker, odds are that you feel better when aspects of your life are in harmony. Environmentally conscious design can impact you the same way. We strongly believe that life is best lived when you are in harmony with your environment. That is why we create our designs with the life of our clients - and the planet - in mind. And we choose partners that have that same mission and approach.

One organization we proudly support in our business is Dem-Con. Dem-Con is a 3rd generation waste and recycling management company that’s made it its mission to continually find alternate uses for everyday waste. More specifically, Dem-Con specializes in recycling construction and demolition waste from various commercial and residential projects throughout the state of Minnesota. Its mission is to “provide solutions across all our businesses that are economically viable, sustainable, and technically sound by prioritizing people, acting with honesty and integrity, and having an unwavering commitment to our customers.” They truly care about the environment and making an impact.

Dem-Con offers a large array of services from single-stream recycling MRF to metal processing. As one of the only RCI (Recycling Certification Institute) certified recycling facilities in the Midwest, Dem-Con operates a 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility including a designated construction and demolition recycling building and an on-site educational program, Green Grades. In fact, they have over 30 years of experience handling construction and demolition materials. Their processes center on promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability. Dem-Con’s Green Grades program aims to educate the community on the importance of recycling and environmentally responsible waste management.

In April 2022, Dem-Con posted a 74% recycling rate. And their 12-month average also hovers around that 72% mark. That is extremely impressive! According to RTS, “the municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rate in the US remains as low as 35%.” Dem-Con uses a mechanized sorting system to sort items into 6 different material categories. Making up the bulk of the items? Alternative daily covers (ADC) at 32% and wood at 22%. And Dem-Con is a Certified Recycling Facility, which means all of its recycling numbers are real, accurate, and reliable. They are LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) which is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. They even provide LEED credits to haulers who utilize their facility.

So what are our favorite things about Dem-Con?

There is a landfill on site which is the opposite of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. This is unique to Dem-Con! We haven’t seen this in any other D&C recycling centers we have toured.
Green grades programs are impressive! They travel to schools to educate children and families on recycling and its importance. Dem Con is truly passionate about our future generations and making a change.
Company values aligned closely with ours at BPC®. This alignment makes it a no-brainer to support them. When we visited Dem-Con to see their facility in person, the entire atmosphere was warm and inviting. You can quickly tell their business is not about the money but instead about making a true difference.
Dem-Con is researching and trying new ways to re-use materials, not just recycle. For example, repurposing drywall into fertilizer for the local farmers.

These are just a few of our favorite aspects of Dem-Con. With this partnership, Blue Pencil Collective® uses Dem-Con dumpsters as the proprietary waste management company for all of our projects. We are grateful to support and partner with a local MN organization on our architecture and interior design projects.