A three-year partnership between Metro Portland and the local construction trade industry has resulted in a decrease in the amount of recyclable building material sent to area landfills, while growing the amount of C&D material being reused and recycled.
According to a recent survey of participating firms, those that recycle 75 percent or more of their construction-related waste nearly doubled in 2004 from the previous year. The survey also finds that contractors are using Metro-designed tools for this industry’s needs and that they are becoming more aware of options for reducing C&D waste.
Metro estimates that 20 percent of the region’s 1.3 million tons of waste heading to regional landfills comes directly from building activity, and of that waste, as much as 60 percent could be recycled, reused or diverted from the landfills.
Three years ago Metro launched a partnership with regional construction trade groups aimed at reducing the waste from C&D activity. The first step was meeting with construction industry partners to determine what information and tools would help them recycle more of their waste. According to Metro Council President David Bragdon, the industry’s interest in recycling got the partnership off to a strong start.
“Our initial research with the construction industry showed that they had a strong interest in recycling and salvage, but with all of the recycling options to choose from, the industry could use some assistance in making recycling easier and more efficient,” said Bragdon. “With the help of local contractors, Metro created several tools to put the full menu of options, costs and specifications in their hands.”
The centerpiece of Metro’s efforts was creation of the Construction Industry Recycling Toolkit, a directory of recycling and salvage facilities in the region. A second tool created was the Metro Salvage Planning guide, which helps architects and developers design and specify construction projects that generate less C&D waste.
The survey indicates that contractors are using the tools and becoming more aware of the options they have for reducing C&D waste. Sixty-three percent of the association members surveyed said they have seen toolkit, up from 50 percent in 2003. The survey also shows that overall awareness of “sustainable” construction techniques is increasing as sixty-one percent of all association members surveyed, said they were aware of the LEED standard, up from 50 percent in 2003 and 42 percent in 2002.
The survey also shows that recycling among partnership members is increasing, especially in a number of target areas where materials offer the greatest opportunity for recycling. Wood, cardboard, metal and glass were all categories that saw increased recycling rates among those surveyed between 2004 and 2005.
The number of firms reporting that they recycle 75 percent or more of their waste increase from 25 percent in 2003 to 48 percent in 2004.
The third year of the partnership included a number of new programs and services to help construction firms reduce waste, including techniques for recycling, salvaging, and reusing materials, as well as information about deconstruction practices. The partnering trade associations have sponsored seminars and have included program-related news articles in their association newsletters and association websites.
Firms participating with Metro are: Associated Builders & Contractors, Pacific Northwest Chapter; Associated General Contractors, Oregon-Columbia Chapter; the Construction Specification Institute, Portland Chapter; the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland; and the Oregon Remodelers Association.
You can visit Metro’s Web site and access all of its C&D Toolkit publications at www.metro-region.org/toolkit.