http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
print | close
Not even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) knows exactly how much construction and demolition
(C&D) waste material the United States generates each year. Not federally regulated, C&D debris classified as
nonhazardous is managed at the state level. However, extrapolating from case studies and using available
collected data, the EPA has estimated the United States produced approximately 325 million tons of total C&D
waste in 2003 the last year for which it undertook a survey of C&D debris.
Of the 325 million tons of C&D debris in 2003, 170 million tons consisted of building-related construction and
demolition (C&D) materials. This amount marks a 23% increase from the estimate of 136 million tons of
building-related C&D debris generated by the United States in 1996. From 1996 to 2003, there was a 32%
increase in overall building construction, though construction spending increases can also reflect inflation,
profit, and other factors that do not necessarily correlate to increased materials use.
Although the definition of C&D debris varies from state to state, it generally refers to the inert materials
produced in the process of construction, renovation, and/or demolition of structures, where structures include
buildings (residential, commercial, institutional, etc.), roads, and bridges (see SIDEBAR 1: C&D Defined).
Many states exclude materials that might meet the legal standards of hazardous waste from their definition of
C&D debris, using terms such as hazardous, unacceptable, potentially toxic, or illegal. These materials
must be treated or disposed of in a manner consistent with the federal requirements for hazardous waste, as
outlined in the EPAs Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). (For a state-by-state look at definitions
and regulations, visit The Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center at http://www.cicacenter.org
/solidregs.html.)
The three largest waste components on most job sites comprise cardboard, wood, and drywall. These materials
typically make up 75% of job-site waste. The majority of C&D debris ends up in one of two types of landfills:
municipal solid waste landfills, which handle household waste, and C&D landfills, which are devoted exclusively
to C&D materials. The C&D landfills must comply with the few basic standards outlined in the Federal Register
at 40 CFR Part 257, but state regulations governing them vary widely. In addition, unaccounted for amounts of
C&D materials end up in combustion facilities or unpermitted landfills.
Still, most C&D materials can be recovered through recycling and reuse. Of the amount of C&D debris generated
in 2003, the EPA estimates, based on state reported disposal and recovery data, approximately 48% was
recovered. This recovery estimate marks a 23% increase from the amount estimated to have been recovered in
1996. However, this figure may be an overestimation due to the inclusion of materials that are from
non-building sources.
Nevertheless, the recent rise in prices for commodities, such as copper, has led to an increase in the recovery of
1 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM
http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
scrap metal on job sites. The EPA is hoping the interest in green building will also have a positive impact on the
rates of recovery of other C&D materials. The agency vows to continue to work in partnership with state
environmental agencies and construction organizations to actively promote recovery and recycling of C&D
materials (see SIDEBAR 2: Construction Industry Efforts).
Green team
Recycling at 100% employee-owned Rosendin Electric, San Jose, Calif., began not on its construction job sites
but in-house. Twenty years ago, the firm started its Green Team in order to become certified as the first green
contractor with the City of San Jose. The Green Team, a cross-section of around a dozen employees from the
company, consists of project managers and members of staff from every department. One of the teams first
initiatives was to put a recycling bin beside every trash can in its office. The first thing we did was look at
anything that said trash, says Brad Rogers, yard manager for Rosendin Electric and one of the founding
members of the Green Team. Every office had a trash can, so we put a recycling can beside it. Then we started
looking at what more we could do.
2 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM
http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
It wasnt long until the company started recycling waste materials from its job sites. The effort started with scrap
cable, including copper, aluminum, and steel. Years ago, they called scrap cable on job sites rabbit because it
ran away from jobs so quickly, says Rogers. The Green Team put out to all Rosendin Electrics employees that
scrap cable was not rabbit: it was part of the cost of the job.
At all its project sites, the company began placing special locked bins one of its security experts designed and its
processing vendor fabricated. Weve never had one broken into, says Rogers.
The projected money generated from selling the scrap is included in the estimate of the project from which its
expected. The Green Team made sure the project managers were aware of this status. They started making a
good effort to recycle because the customers were going to benefit, Rogers explains. Everybody got onboard
pretty quickly.
Not long after, the company was able to eliminate the trash dumpsters at its job sites, replacing them with a
construction debris box. That means its not trash, says Rogers. Its all recyclable materials even the wood
and cardboard.
Rosendin Electric commingles, so its debris box is taken to a transfer station where its separated. It also
recycles fluorescent lamps and ballasts. Cardboard from packaging, particularly from solar panels, which come
individually wrapped, merits its own bin. It can be a lot of cardboard, says Ernie Beltramo, facilities manager
for Rosendin Electric.
Although an incentive for recycling comes from the money it saves the customers, Rosendin Electrics staff also
desires the environmental benefits. We have a growing number of employees who are heavily involved in all
things green and understand and appreciate the importance of doing our part to help the environment, says
Rogers.
Rosendin Electrics recycling plan is addressed at each projects kickoff meeting, which members of the Green
Team attend. Now, when we go to a startup meeting, we ask about the steel, aluminum, and copper, says
Rogers. Are we removing fixtures from this job? If so, well scrap them for the steel value. Cardboard? Half the
stuff used to go to landfills, and now we literally recycle every bit of it.
Additionally, in some of the areas the company works, the general contractors are under guidelines with owners
or cities to provide proof that all fixtures and materials being torn out of renovations are recycled. They want
proof you didnt take it all to the dump, says Beltramo. Were actually on a remodel job in San Francisco now,
and we have to show documentation to the general contractor for everything we take off the job.
Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Rosendin Electric has branch offices in San Francisco; Sacramento, Calif.;
Los Angeles; Tempe, Ariz.; Hillsboro, Ore.; Las Vegas; and most recently, Arlington, Va. The Green Team has
started recycling initiatives with all the branch offices too. Our other branches across the country have been
implementing the same thing were doing in the Bay Area, says Beltramo. Everybodys coming on-board to
give the benefit to our customers and to help the environment.
Personal mission
San Diego estimates that each year 20% to 35% of the waste that goes to landfills is made up of C&D debris. This
amounts to more than 100,000 tons annually for the unincorporated areas of the county and more than one
million tons countywide. To lessen this amount, effective April 21, 2007, debris from C&D projects must be
diverted away from landfill disposal in the unincorporated County of San Diego. The ordinance requires that
90% of inerts and 70% of all other materials must be recycled. In order to comply with the ordinance, applicants
must submit a Construction and Demolition Debris Management Plan and a fully refundable Performance
3 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM
http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
4 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM
http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
comfort in knowing that EDCO will catch some of the recyclables in the dumpsters.
Sanabrio credits these expenses with keeping other firms from recycling. It doesnt make dollars and sense for a
lot of business owners, he says. I feel that people would like to do it, but theres just nothing really there for
them to make it part of their routine. You have to pay people to do anything, so thats time and money that a lot
of contractors, especially now, just arent willing to give.
Definitions of construction and demolition (C&D) debris vary from state to state. However, in general, discarded
inert materials include:
Concrete, cinder blocks, drywall (sheetrock, gypsum, or plaster), masonry, asphalt
and wood shingles, slate, and plaster
Forming and framing lumber, plywood, wood laminates, wood scraps, and pallets
Steel, stainless steel, pipes, rebar, flashing, aluminum, copper, and brass, residential
and commercial steel framing, structural steel, and steel utility poles
Brick and decorative blocks
Siding
Doors and windows
Plumbing fixtures
Electrical wiring
Non-asbestos insulation
Wood, sawdust, brush, trees, stumps, earth, fill, and rock/granular materials
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The construction industry is taking large strides to lessen its impact on the environment. To further these efforts,
in 2006 the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) created an environmental agenda that listed
seven goals, four of which relate most to materials management. Other efforts undertaken by the construction
industry include the following:
The Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) facilitates building deconstruction and the reuse and
recycling of recovered building materials.
The Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) aids its members in the appropriate methods for
processing material to ensure environmental protectiveness, as well as producing a high-value product. It has
developed websites to reach out to any recyclers, users of recycled materials, and regulators in order to provide a
better understanding of C&D materials recycling.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) issued Green Home Building Guidelines that contractors
5 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM
http://ecmweb.com/print/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling...
can follow to make their homes more green, including reducing, reusing, and recycling construction waste. It
also puts on an annual Green Building Conference. The NAHB Research Center also pursued research in the
area of C&D materials recycling, such as using the material on-site.
The National Demolition Association (NDA) actively promotes recycling and reuse of the materials generated
during a demolition.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Source URL: http://ecmweb.com/contractor/construction-and-demolition-recycling-electrical-industry
6 of 6
07-03-15 2:00 PM