Construction
and Demolition Debris Committee
Upcoming
Events:
Agenda 2/13/08
Past Meetings:
Minutes from 1/9/08
Agenda 12/6/07
Proposed
C & D Definitions
Minutes
from 10/17/06 Meeting
Last
spring the VRA created a committee comprised of individuals
working in the fields of construction and demolition (C&D)
to explore ways to achieve much higher recycling rates
for construction waste in the Commonwealth.
According
to an EPA report from 1996, an estimated 136 million tons
of construction debris makes its way to landfills each
year. Since that time this statistic has proven to be
well short of actual, with the EPA admitting there was
no accounting of road construction debris, for example.
A 2003 article published in Waste News said that a more
inclusive total of C&D debris in that year is between
250 to 350 million tons of C&D, which equates to 4.72
to 6.61 pounds per person per day, which is more than
the EPA estimate for municipal solid waste of 4.5 pounds
per person per day.
The
VRA's C&D committee is currently assisting the Virginia
Sustainable Building Network assemble a C&D Directory
for the state of Virginia. The directory will expose C&D
recyclers to potential customers and it may help members
find markets for specific materials. If you are interested
in becoming involved in the C&D committee, contact
the chair, Ken Mogul at 703-850-9549
or ken@acewasterecycling.com.
Interesting C & D Facts
There
are really three classes of C&D: Construction scrap
is highly recyclable because such materials have been
minimally treated prior to being disposed. Renovation
scrap is denser that construction scrap though contains
much of the same materials in a somewhat more difficult
form to recycle (such as kitchen cabinets and whole wall
section with sheetrock attached to studs). Demolition
debris is very dense and mostly contains aggregates, metal,
and dirt. Once the materials are segregated, there is
no essential difference in materials or markets.
Links:
Builders'
Guide to Resue and Recycling: A Directory for Construction
& Demolition Materials in the Metropolitan Washington
Region
