Downtown Diversion is LA Success Story

By its own estimate, Downtown Diversion, Los Angeles, has been responsible for diverting some 200, 000 tons of wood, brick, concrete, asphalt, drywall, cardboard, scrap metal and other construction debris away from landfills and into recycling channels since it opened its doors in 2004.

This April the facility will celebrate its third anniversary around the same time that the Tom Bradley Landfill will be closing its doors permanently. Another large Los Angeles area landfill, Puente Hills, is scheduled for closure in 2013

Downtown Diversion President Mike Hammer has began to advocate in favor of the closure of other Southern California landfills as well. According to a Downtown Diversion news release, Hammer considers landfills as “the number one enemy of the environment, since landfills are the major contributors of methane gas.”

The facility that Hammer manages diverts 100,000 tons of construction debris annually, and provides waste generators with customer service that includes same day service for recycling bins and hauling; reporting to meet AB 939, LEED and CHPS standards; and a convenient location in downtown Los Angeles with an efficient traffic pattern that gets trucks in and out within one half hour.

Hammer says he follows the steps and vision of principal owner and CEO Myan Spaccarelli, who began operating its first construction debris facility in Sunland, Calif., after the 1994 Northridge earthquake clean-up and demolition efforts.

Hammer and Spacarrelli have helped contractors meet Gold and Platinum LEED goals, the duo say, and last year Downtown Diversion received national recognition and was named the “2006 Mixed C & D Recycling Facility of the Year” by the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA).

The company facility is equipped with a Lubo USA sorting system featuring conveyor belts, hand sorting, star screens, and a vacuum system to achieve a 75 percent diversion rate. The entire facility is enclosed to prevent air pollution and has a water misting system to ensure compliance with AQMD standards. A Continental Biomass (CBI) wood grinder is used to produce up to 80 tons per hour of wood chips.

The permitted capacity of Downtown Diversion is 1,500 tons per day, according to the company. In addition to wood, commodities recycling include metals, concrete, drywall, and cardboard.