New York college recycles 85 percent of materials during demolition

The Mohawk Valley Community College’s (MVCC’s) Rome campus Academic Building in Utica, New York, was demolished through the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority’s regional demolition program. Two thousand tons of waste, 83 percent, was recycled during the demolition process.

The demolition is part of the campus’ renovation program.

Prior to demolition, the MVCC Rome campus facilities team emptied the building through the Oneida County eBay account and items that weren’t sold were donated to local organizations, including schools. A very small amount of nonrecyclable material was thrown away.

The team working on the demolition also minimized tipping fees and reduced overall expenditures, according to Dennis Davis, commissioner of Oneida County Public Works. Most of the tipping fees for items that had to be thrown away, including sheet rock and plaster walls, were paid for by scrapping and recycling building steel and other metals.