the_vera•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Just ran the numbers on my mortar waste last week and it was bad

I was putting together my materials cost for a small retaining wall job in Greenville and decided to actually weigh my unused mortar at the end of each day. Over a 5 day stretch I was throwing away roughly 18 pounds of mixed mortar per day. That adds up to 90 pounds a week or close to 4,700 pounds a year if you work steady. I found this out by just putting a bucket on a bathroom scale I had laying around. Has anyone else actually measured their daily waste or am I just being sloppy with my batch sizes?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavinperez1mo ago

Did you factor in any savings from partial buckets you reused the next day?

patricia9051mo ago

Always seems like we notice the little things but not the big picture. @gavinperez has a good point.

kevin_bailey1mo ago

Does anyone actually track how those partial bucket savings add up over a week though? It's one of those hidden things that sounds small but can really change your numbers if you're consistent. I started jotting mine down and was surprised how much I was leaving on the table.