Volume 14, Issue 2  •  Spring 2006

GBB Estimates 115 Million Tons/Year of Demolition Waste Generated in U.S.

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) has recently completed a detailed evaluation of the amount of demolition material generated annually by the “traditional” demolition industry in the United States. The evaluation concluded that over 115 million tons per year (2004 data point) of demolition material are handled across the United States through traditional demolition services and that the industry reuses/recycles an estimated 73% of that overall material.

The evaluation, completed by GBB under contract to the National Demolition Association (NDA), headquartered in Doylestown, PA, concluded a six-month data collection and evaluation period wherein GBB worked closely with the NDA and its almost 600 “demo contractor” members regarding their demolition waste quantities handled and recycling habits. NDA members in more than 40 states responded to the survey.

Recently, David Loewendick, President of NDA, and Mike Taylor, NDA’s Executive Director, traveled to Washington, DC, where over a dozen senior EPA staffers attended a major briefing on the NDA study. Bob Brickner, GBB Project Manager for the evaluation, presented the methodology as well as the results to the Federal EPA staff. Mr. Brickner noted that these figures do not include highway and bridge projects that typical general contractors may handle as part of their work scope.

“The survey was incredibly helpful and will be part of the EPA 2006-2011 National Policy. This kind of data does influence EPA policy,” stated Michael Dunn of the US EPA headquarters office in Washington, DC, at the recent NDA Annual Convention held in Nashville, TN.

GBB is a national solid waste management consulting firm founded in 1980 that works on solid waste collection, processing, recycling and disposal issues at the local, state, and national levels for both the public and private sectors. GBB is a recognized leader in providing C&D waste management consulting, assisting clients in developing sound and cost-effective approaches to improve the handling, processing, recycling, and/or disposal of C&D waste materials. For more information on the firm and its products and services, visit www.GBBinc.com or call 1-800-573-5801.

Concrete is the Most Recycled Material in North America, by Weight

The Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) recently released the results of a survey that was sent to all CMRA recycling members and 950 other C&D recyclers. GBB compiled the data and combined it with its own information on the C&D industry. The survey was the first scientific attempt to determine how much concrete is recycled since 1997.

The study shows that concrete/asphalt recyclers recovered as much as 140 million tons of concrete and at least 15 million tons of asphalt in 2005, making concrete the most recycled material in North America by weight. In addition, it was estimated that the approximately 250 mixed construction and demolition recycling plants in the United States annually recover 28 million tons of materials. The survey also found recycling rates for the two types of plants are equally impressive. Concrete/asphalt recycling plants recycle 99 percent of what they take in, and for the difficult mixed C&D recycling plants, they are recovering 71 percent of their C&D feedstock.

Submitted by GBB