C&D World: Making Connections

The recycling of C&D materials is playing a more important role in the cleanup and development of brownfield properties, according to Sven-Erik Kaiser of the EPA Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment who spoke at the C&D World Exhibition & Conference held recently in San Antonio.

Kaiser defined brownfields as real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which could be complicated by the potential presence of hazardous substances. “A brownfield is any piece of real estate with environmental concerns,” he said. According to some estimates, there may be at least 450,000 brownfield properties across the country.

According to Kaiser, the link between C&D recycling and brownfields development is becoming more pronounced. “In the course of the process, you remove materials which can be used at the new project or elsewhere,” he said. He sited an example of the deconstruction of a paint warehouse—a site where 94 percent of the building was reused, according to Kaiser.

He added that brownfields projects have the potential to generate a great deal of material for the C&D recycling industry and that including recycling in the plans for redevelopment helps earn points for EPA grants. “People are making connections that have never been made before,” when it comes to C&D recycling in brownfields, according to Kaiser.

In 2007, the EPA will competitively award more than $70 million in grants for assessment, cleanup and revolving loan fund grants.

More information is available at www.epa.gov/brownfields.