Making plans: a New England contractor conducts careful planning for its construction materials recycling program

Construction & Demolition Recycling, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Vance Freymann

Consigli Construction and Symmes Maini & McKee Associates have recognized the impact of the waste generated by their construction projects. The companies share the belief that waste reduction planning makes sense both environmentally and financially. By reducing the cost of disposal, the building team can potentially save money and help the environment.

The market for recycled construction materials should grow with industry acceptance. Once the Massachusetts C&D ban takes effect, waste management planning and recycling will potentially become cost neutral or even cost beneficial vs. third-party separation and exporting, as hauling and tip-fee incentives are given to contractors who reduce processing labor by source-separating materials on the job site.

Based on the results of the Massachusetts initiative, it is expected that other New England and Northeast states will follow suit with similar bans on C&D deposits at landfills, thus diminishing the viability of out-of-state exporting as a disposal option.

By achieving an overall diversion rate to date of 72.7 percent and project-specific diversion rates of 90 percent or better, Consigli has demonstrated that the two LEED points available through MRc-2 can realistically be achieved with proper waste management planning.

CASE STUDY: St. Paul's Cathedral-Worcester, Mass.

Consigli was the lead contractor for the renovation of the 10,200-square-foot basement reception area of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The church is a 130-year-old granite structure in a congested urban neighborhood in the center of Worcester, the state's second largest city.

Through Consigli's and St. Paul's recycling efforts, $16,371 was saved, and 78 percent of waste was diverted from disposal at local landfills. Materials recycled include concrete and wood paneling.

Unique to the project was a savings of $5,500 by reusing wood paneling. The price of replacing the original woodwork with antique ash would have been three times higher than the price of the careful rehabilitation of the existing woodwork; The architect emphasized the historic and economic value of preserving the original woodwork, as it was custom made for the cathedral, dating back to renovations done at the turn of the century. By saving the woodwork, the project not only reduced material costs, but also preserved an important piece of the social room's history.

Keys to success on the project include:

* Talking to the client during the planning stage to review the materials currently in use and to identify opportunities to reuse them in the renovation.

* When preparing a cost estimate for the client, make the benefits of reuse transparent. Include replacement costs and avoided transport of salvaged materials as part of a cost-benefit analysis.

* If the project does not provide an option to reuse materials on site, then consider other options. Revenue can be generated through selling the rights to salvage materials to a salvage company or by holding an on-site sale or auction. Alternatively, the building owner can get a tax deduction for donating the materials to a non-profit organization or municipal agency.