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Recycle construction waste to reduce disposal and landfill costs and possibly generate income. The Engineering and Facilities Department can recycle day-to day waste. Make sure to define what types of wastes are created. According to the EPA, construction and demolition (C&D) debris
consists of the waste generated during construction, renovation, and demolition
projects. Reducing C&D debris conserves landfill space, reduces the environmental impact of producing new materials, and can reduce overall building project expenses through avoided purchase/disposal costs. Monitor what the maintenance staff does with waste. Though many campus construction projects are controlled by outside contractors, it is important to manage the waste generated from campus construction projects. This can be done through contract specifications and education. Work with the construction department to incorporate waste reduction language into contracts that require projects to reduce, reuse and recycle all waste generated from demolition and construction. Create an educational brochure with information on what the local options are for reuse and recycling. Encourage construction project managers to consider donating items for reuse (lockers, cabinets, etc....), reuse existing items in new construction/remodels, reduce waste generated from the project while maximizing recycling opportunities. Incorporate project waste into campus waste stream as possible. For example: if there is a campus cardboard contractor, work with the contractor to provide (and possibly charge) a project for this service (depending on how much cardboard is generated of course!). Offer on-site paper and bottles/cans recycling for free to the construction company. This good will gesture will indirectly encourage the contractor to participate in recycling of construction materials. In utilizing contract language, be sure to include a reporting mechanism to ensure waste is being handled accordingly and there is an opportunity to demonstrate this effort to support the campus recycling/waste reduction efforts. The material generated in these large projects is noticeable and the impact of waste reduction supports the recycling effort. If possible, make presentations on this issue at the pre-construction meetings as is done with fire safety, asbestos and hazardous material generation. Be sure and provide contact information for further assistance. Surprisingly, more and more contractors are seeing waste recovery as a way to save money in disposal fees. Remember to provide campus construction and maintenance shops with well labeled recycling bins. These areas can produce a large amount of waste and manage most campus re-model projects. Educate, educate, educate! Wood (see Chapter 16 Special Materials, Chemicals and Hazardous Wastes) Wood
from C& D can take many forms including trim ends, plywood scrap,
solid lumber from cabinet and furniture construction, plywood, oriented
strand board, particle board, fiberboard, laminated beams, I joists, and
treated wood such as decking, utility poles, marine pilings, and fence
posts. Other wood products
include: saw dust, wood chips, shingles, shavings, crates, spools, boxes,
etc. During remodeling, wood
could be in the form of items that can be reused such as a finished piece
of furniture, doors or cabinets.
Recycling wood is not straight forward. Many areas have local wood recyclers. Be sure and coordinate what is acceptable with the wood recycler. Label collection bins and educate users on what material is acceptable. Sawdust, chips, and shavings are easy to compost with yardwaste. *** Make sure not to compost treated wood waste.*** Composting operations can use ground particle board or plywood as bulking agent for compost. Dimensional lumber is often ground for landscape mulch. See the special waste section... Charity organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army will
accept furniture and cabinets. The campus
carpentry shop may already be reusing cabinets and doors on campus on
a regular basis. The local
landfill might have a section just for C&D recycling.
There also might be local private companies that accept wood for
recycling. Another option
would be to find a company that accepts wood for use as a biofuel. Land-Clearing Debris Like the wood category, land-clearing debris contains a lot of wood as trees. Trees can be sent to wood processing plants to be processed into particle board, chip core, or laminates, animal bedding, mulch or decorative landscaping material, pulp and paper products or composting material. Dirt is often sent to landfills to use as cover material or construction sites to use as fill. Other debris like shrubs, grass and flower material should be composted. Asphalt Pavement
and Shingles, Brick and Concrete Concrete
is made up of cement, water and aggregate, such as crushed stone, sand
or grit. Recycling concrete
reduces the need to mine new materials. Mixed with cement, crushed concrete can be used for projects
that call for a cement stabilized base.
This recycled material is less expensive than the crushed rock
alternatives, and it helps preserve the environment.
Larger pieces of crushed concrete can be used as rip rap or 3”
to 5” bull rock. Brick can
be taken to a landfill where it is crushed to make roadbed material around
the landfill. Brick can also be reused when recycled as whole brick.
Contractors commonly incorporate
recycled asphalt paving into new asphalt mixes.
Asphalt shingles
are recycled into new shingles or pavement products.
Chances are there is a local company or landfill that will recycle
these products in the area. Ask
contractors to keep disposal records. The Armstrong ceiling tile recycling program will accept material as long as there is at least 30,000 sq. ft. of tiles that meet its recycling criteria and are being replaced with new Armstrong products. Armstrong will cover the cost of hauling the tiles. For less than 30,000 sq. ft. of tiles, Armstrong will still recycle these but the campus will have to pay for shipping. Additionally, contact other local institutions, etc...to see if others are looking to recycle tiles but don't have 30,000 sq. ft. Perhaps some networking will net the amount that will waive shipping and get the material recycled. PVC Piping PVC is a difficult material to recycle, but things change quickly. With the increased use of PVC, hopefully a recycling market will surface. To pursue this further, check with the plastic industry groups listed below. Scrap Metal, Paint Cans, Aerosol Cans All
steel has recycled content. According
to the Steel Recycling Institute, all steel is made with at least 25 percent
recycled material and the type of furnace used establishes the recycled-content
level. There are two kinds of steel making furnaces: basic oxygen
and electric arc. The basic
oxygen furnace uses about 28 percent steel scrap to make new steel. The steel from this furnace is made into thin sheets for cans,
cars and appliances. The
electric-arc furnace uses virtually 100 percent recycled steel to make
products such as rebar and structural beams. Recycling scrap metal from a construction site is usually a day-to day occurrence. Provide campus construction managers with a permanent scrap metal dumpster for smaller construction jobs. This dumpster can be put on a schedule or called in when full and should be a very economical way to handle this type of waste. Local scrap dealers often have collection systems in place for large scale scrap recycling. The material is cheaper to collect than garbage and often yields revenue. Hazardous Waste Surprisingly (or not), campus construction projects generate notable amounts of hazardous waste. Make sure all hazardous waste is handled properly during deconstruction. Many campuses have Environmental Health and Safety Departments to manage this area. Consider the following: asbestos, mercury, PCB’s, CFC’s, lead, oil or fuel tanks, lab chemicals and beyond. Go to Hazardous Waste related links... Resources
Shingle Recycling Armstrong California Integrated Waste Management Board-Drywall Healthy Building Network
Construction and Demolition of Buildings With Mercury Containing Devices Reel Solutions American Plastics Council EPA Jobs Through Recycling-Netshare-PVC Greenpeace-PVC PVC Recycling in Italy-Just for fun PVC Recycling in Europe The Vinyl Institute Vinyl by Design-Database of Companies that Recycle Vinyl
MINNESOTA SUSTAINABLE DESIGN GUIDE Northeast Sustainable Energy Association National Association of Home Builders Environment Page |
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Usually a good
list is wood, scrap metal (see special materials), tile, concrete, brick,
asphalt, carpet, vinyl flooring, laminate, sheetrock, ceiling tiles, air
filters, wiring, yardwaste or tree stumps (see