N.Y. Project Announces 95 Percent Recycling Goal

Syracuse, N.Y., shopping center Destiny USA has announced a plan to recycle 95 percent of an estimated 2,500 tons of C&D debris that will be generated by portions of its major construction project and related demolition projects.

Under an agreement with hauling contractor Riccelli Enterprises, East Syracuse, N.Y., a construction waste management plan calls for debris to be processed and reused on site or shipped to off-site processing facilities, according to a report in the Post-Standard of Syracuse.

The plan calls for wood debris to be turned into mulch for mall landscaping; concrete rubble to be crushed and used as back fill; cardboard will be segregated and recycled; glass will be ground and used as a gravel substitute for pipe bedding; and scrap PVC piping will be shipped to a recycler that makes plastic pallets.

Material will be separated into specified containers on a 4.5-acre parcel of land at the demolition and construction site.

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) New York Upstate Chapter executive director Tracie Hall is quoted in the story as saying the plan will help the project toward its certification as a green building project.

Destiny USA project executive David Aitken remarks that the recycling plan should also lower the cost of buying some materials and reduce landfill charges.