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Recycling of Construction Materials
Peninsula Builders Exchange is working with the South Bay Waste Management Association (SBWMA), a local government agency, to provide information and assistance to our members regarding mandated recycling of construction materials. This page is dedicated to the issues and resources surrounding this:
Need Help and More Information? Contact Recycle Works
The County of San Mateo has an excellent website which is full of information
and resources on the recycling of construction (and other) materials. They publish
a special booklet with material recycling locations and have a searchable database
on their website. Visit their website at www.recycleworks.org
or call the Recycling Hotline at 888-442-2666, for information and assistance.
We have copies of the "Construction Site Recycling & Reuse Guide"
at the Exchange. Stop by and pick one up.
Basic Overview
Some time in the past the state legislature mandated that each municipality
in California reduce their waste stream being sent to landfill by 50%. This
goal was not reached by many. A large, easily identifiable, chunk of landfill
usage comes from construction materials. These materials are relatively easy
to recycle and are easy to identify. Cities are focusing on the recycling of
construction materials in order to help reduce the amount of landfill and are
creating ordinances to enforce this. As a group we are concerned because landfill
could become a serious enough problem to generate building moratoriums as have
water and traffic over the past decades. Just as importantly we are concerned
because we live here in addition to working here and the landfill issue is an
important one in local cost and quality of life
Half Moon Bay Proposes Monopoly Vendor on C&D Recycling
The City of Half Moon Bay is considering an ordinance which would limit the
mandatory collection and disposal of construction debris to a single vendor.
In general PBX members feel that sole source franchises for debris removal results
in higher prices and lower service levels. If you would like to voice your opinion
to the City of Half Moon Bay you can call the City Manager (Steve West) at 650-726-8270.
Half Moon Bay is unique in that about 35% of its landfill is from C&D. This
is a very high number and they believe that sole sourcing is the best way to
reduce this total. We need to do more than complain about sole source. We also
need to help them find ways to get this percentage down.
What are we doing?
Peninsula Builders Exchange is working with SBWMA and local governments to
help members of our industry understand the basis for the new regulations and
to help our industry comply. We also serve as the mechanism of voicing industry
concerns on issues like equal enforcement and standardization of the requirements,
forms and fees at the city level. The Exchange is part of the advisory subcommittee
on the creation of these new ordinances and we are asking for the following
four things to be considered:
1- The deletion of inerts from the requirement calculations. Inerts are clean, recyclable wastes such as concrete, soil and asphalt. These materials are not currently disposed of in landfill because it is too expensive to do so. Putting them in the ordinances (thus requiring their calculation and proof of disposal) does not decrease the amount going to landfill, and only increases paperwork, so we recommend that they be eliminated from formal control.
2- Inclusion of recycling requirements in plans and specifications. While all of the cities have similar ordinances they also vary in their details. Some require 25% diversion, some more. All count inerts, but require different percentages to be diverted. Some mix inerts and construction mixed debris and others calculate these separately. Some require a five day wait period before demo for salvage, while others don't. The fees and deposits vary. If these requirements are included in the plans and specifications contractors can estimate and schedule them. We are asking that designers be required to list and enumerate these requirements in the project and that they be reviewed in plancheck. Without inclusion many contractors will be "surprised" as construction starts.
3- Standardization of forms, calculation methods and percentages. Each city has a different form and some variations on how much gets diverted and how it is measured. Some calculate the estimated debris by ton, some by cubic yard and some by square foot. All convert to different measurements by different conversion tables. We would like to see these standardized so the cities would be similar enough that a contractor can use the same form and math for any jurisdiction.
4- Open franchising of waste haulers. Cities "franchise" haulers in their jurisdiction. Franchising is necessary because cities want to know where the waste is going and that it is being disposed of properly. They also get feedback from the company as to what is being picked up and from where. Sometimes a city will grant an exclusive franchise, which means that only one company can haul waste in that town. Other cities grant multiple franchises allowing several companies to haul, thus creating competition. There are arguments each way but our members generally perceive open franchising as being better for the contractor and owner.
Members please call Tom with your comments and concerns at: 650-591-4486
An Experts Review
Read an article on local recycling ordinances
by expert Joan Edwards You will need Adobe Acrobat to read it.
Salvage & Demo Contractors
Want to sub out salvage and demo on your next project? - Here
is a good list of subs provided by SWBMA. Current as of 5/21/01. Downloads
as an Adobe .pdf file. For the absolutly best, up to the minute, source
of disposal and other sites click here and go to the Recycling
Website
Places to take roof tear offs
Need to dispose of an old roof? SWBMA has prepared a list of disposal sites
for this type of material. Current as of 5/21/01. Click HERE
to download the list in Adobe .pdf format.
Ordinance Matrix
The cities of Atherton, Burlingame, Colma, EPA, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough,
Menlo Park, Millbrae, Portola Valley, San Carlos and Woodside and the
County all have construction recycling ordinances which vary in the size
of project, salvage, percentage of waste which must be diverted and fees.
This Matrix shows those differences. Go Get
it at the Recycling Web Site and keep it as a reference. It will change
as the ordinances evolve. Current as of 4/02
Give your opinion
Call Tom at the Exchange with your questions and comments: 650-591-4486 or
click here to send an e-mail
Green Contractors Wanted!
Are You a Green Contractor?
The County of San Mateo Recycling Programs Coordinator is looking for "Green
Contractors" for upcoming projects. This could be a great opportunity for
contractors with experience and a commitment to ecological, environmental and
recycling issues and who incorporates them into projects. If your firm fits
this description please call Jill Boone at 650-599-1433 or e-mail her at jill@recycleworks.org.
Need Adobe Acrobat? Click Here
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