Breaking ground on a new facility is an occasion to celebrate growth. It commemorates a powerful choice about the facility's future and its stewardship to the community it serves. This service to the community can begin long before the facility's doors open by implementing a construction and demolition (C&D) waste-recycling program.

By implementing a C&D waste-recycling program, possibly hundreds of ton of materials could be diverted into reuse, extending their life cycle, saving natural resources, cutting production costs and reducing pressure on landfill space. This cradle-to-cradle model of reuse can apply to a vast array of materials, ranging from asphalt and concrete to steel and glass.

Many contractors already employ informal recycling on their sites as a matter of sound economics. With proper and clear communication, it's relatively easy and cost effective to expand this into a larger program that diverts greater C&D waste streams from landfills.

Materials Selection
Recyclable C&D materials include concrete and brick, corrugated cardboard, clean wood, metal, ceiling tiles, asphalt shingles, glass and gypsum wallboard. Funneling these materials to local markets can have a positive impact on economics and good public relations for facility owners.

When Southwest Health Center (SHC), Platteville, Wis., broke ground on its 130,000-square-foot replacement hospital and clinic on a 30-acre Greenfield site, the client made the decision to recycle gypsum, metal, clean wood and cardboard.

"We realized early on that we needed to recycle job-site waste because it was the right thing to do in terms of our commitment to the health of our community," says Dennis Stuckey, SHC's manager of facilities. The construction team diverted a total of 95.48 tons from landfills by the project's March 2005 completion. These efforts saved approximately 300 gallons of fuel and $3,534 in disposal tipping fees. The program also extended the material's life cycles in the following ways:

-53,400 pounds of gypsum (scrap wallboard) was ground and applied to the site and an adjacent farm as fertilizer.

-26.64 tons of recycled metal saved 47.15 tons of raw materials and half the energy used in the production and manufacture of an equivalent amount of new steel.

-37.17 tons of clean wood, or the equivalent of 245 trees, became landscaping mulch.

-4.97 tons of cardboard went into linerboard production, saving 85 trees and energy equivalent to heating five homes for six months.

All materials remained within Wisconsin, benefiting local communities. Recycling the gypsum also gained the project the distinction of becoming the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' first on-site recycling of agricultural gypsum in a commercial application.

Projects with a demolition component offer an excellent opportunity to recycle materials in cost-effective and creative ways. On the site of a multi-phased replacement clinic for Riverside Medical Clinic, Riverside, Calif., the construction team ground 672 cubic yards of existing asphalt on-site and mixed it with recycled base material for the new parking lot. The recycling effort saved costs associated with hauling the existing asphalt and reduced the amount that needed to be trucked in. Within two months of breaking ground, the project team diverted 220 tons of concrete to a local recycling facility that will pulverize the material for base material in paved areas.

Four of the site's existing residences were donated to Riverside and San Bernardino counties' police, SWAT and fire teams for training purposes. A portion of the existing clinic also will be donated for this purpose when the replacement facility is completed.

Remember, material selection depends entirely on market availability and economics and, therefore, may vary from project to project. For example, collecting clean wood at a job site in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and transporting it 90 miles for reuse as landscaping mulch economically weighs against trucking it 5 miles to the local landfill where it ultimately will biodegrade. The cost of hauling the material a greater distance than the landfill has to be evaluated against the landfill fees, the reuse savings and the reduced environmental impact.

Time and Planning
An effective C&D waste-recycling program requires a fair amount of planning before the project breaks ground to ensure a seamless process with respect to managing and maintaining the program.

"Planning is essential to create a sound recycling program," says Ed Faherty, vice president of Platteville-based waste hauler Faherty Inc. and chair of WasteCap Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance to businesses (www.wastecapwi.org). "When done right - through planning and capturing the appropriate volume - a job-site recycling program can be economical."

In addition to selecting materials to recycle, finding the appropriate markets and setting the locations for recycling bins on-site, the planning process should anticipate the time required to research, apply and receive any necessary permits. For instance, a permit was required to spread the gypsum from the Platteville project because it is a solid waste.

Without support from every subcontractor, a C&D waste-recycling effort may fail or at best be difficult to sustain. Establishing training and communications plans will gain measurable support from subcontractors. Plans should include everything from why the program is being implemented to how the materials will be handled on the job site. Keeping subcontractors updated about the amount of materials diverted and where they are going also can build enthusiasm and support for the program. Be sure, also, that recycling requirements are written into each contract and discussed with subcontractors during the buyout process.

Costs, Savings and Returns
Recycling C&D waste may reduce tipping fees and possibly qualify for rebates or other incentives, but don't commit to a program thinking it will be a money generator. There are costs associated with the additional track receptacle rentals that will be required to separate waste in addition to any necessary permits or equipment rental, such as for pulverizing concrete or asphalt on-site.

When done cost effectively, however, the recycling program should not cost much more than a standard waste program. As Gary Kirk, Madison, Wis.-based Marshall Erdman & Associates' superintendent notes: "The subcontractors do most of the clean up for their work anyway; it's simply a matter of separating materials. Any additional hard costs will be the result of a little bit of training and monitoring."

The non-tangible benefits are just as important, benefiting the triple bottom line of environment, social and financial concerns. Saving natural resources and reducing the pressure on landfills can divert dollars to local economies and promote an enhanced community image. A C&D waste-recycling program requires adequate time to ensure the infrastructure is in place before the project breaks ground. If the appropriate planning is done beforehand, the program will be easy to manage with little additional cost and quite possibly some savings. With time, the planning aspect of the program will become second nature as the construction teams share their knowledge and promote community stewardship with each new project.

By Elizabeth Churchill, manager of sustainable design for Marshall Erdman & Associates in Madison, Wis. Contact her at echurchill@erdman.com or (800) 322-5117

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