Residential Construction Waste Demonstration Projects
As a part of its ongoing focus to reduce the construction and demolition portion of Georgia’s waste stream, P2AD is currently contracting with Southface (www.southface.org) to conduct two construction waste demonstration projects in the Longleaf Community, located near Phipps Plaza in Fulton County. The first project involves on-site separation of materials on the job site; the second project will entail land applying drywall. On-site separation of construction materials is not common practice in the Atlanta area due to smaller lot sizes which can’t accommodate containers/dumpsters, topography (sloped terrain), decrease in curb appeal of home and the reluctance of builders (due to the low unemployment rate) to add additional responsibilities for subcontractors to separate and move the materials to the curb. Based on waste assessments and discussion with builders, most builders in the Atlanta area use cleanup services that “sweep” the house several times during construction and manually load and haul materials from the job site. However, the manual loading presents an opportunity to separate materials for recycling.
Hedgewood Properties (www.hedgewoodproperties.com), a large production builder in Atlanta and partner in the projects, has committed to separate the construction waste generated at nine job sites. Their hauler has agreed to weigh the materials and track labor associated with the on-site separation. P2AD will identify existing recycling markets for these materials, and Hedgewood has agreed to recycle or reuse as many items as possible.
Packer Industries (www.packer2000.com) will donate the use of their grinder to grind the wood waste and drywall. Julia Gaskin, a member of P2AD’s Agricultural P2 staff, will provide assistance in land applying the ground drywall as well as conduct soil and water samples to verify that the drywall does not release any contaminants to the soil or water. Site preparation and material flow process development are currently underway, with construction scheduled to begin in mid July 2000.
It is hoped that the demonstration site will be seen by many in the building community due to the high profile location of the site, coupled with the upcoming International Builders’ Show to be held in Atlanta in February 2001. The show will include a tour of the New American home, a state-of-the-art home showcasing the latest products and technologies in home building that will be built in the same community as the demonstration project. An estimated 70,000 people will attend the show from around the world.
Upon completion of the project, P2AD will prepare a guide for on-site separation of materials for recycling and specifications for land applying drywall and using wood chips on-site. Southface will use the guide as part of their training for builders on reducing and recycling construction waste.