Construction & Demolition Debris

Deconstruction

Before construction and demolition debris recycling comes the deconstruction of the healthcare property.  That is, before preparing a space for renovation or demolition, conduct a walkthrough to identify supplies and equipment no longer needed, but still usable by others. Identify outlets to donate, recycle or reuse this material before demolition of space.  This practice not only prevents waste, but also saves money in waste disposal costs and demonstrates responsible stewardship practices. Cabinetry, casework, desks, file cabinets and other leftover furniture, hardware, lighting fixtures and ballasts, and office supplies and equipment are all recoverable--to name a few items. Too often this process is overlooked during the project, and dollars are poured down the drain while waste is dumped into crowded landfills.  Check regional resources for Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, reuse outlets or other architectural reuse stores,  or other not for profit organizations for donation.  Document the diversion for LEED credits, sustainability reporting and Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards.

The management techniques are going to differ based on whether you have a full scale construction project in play, a major vs. minor renovation or just an open top roll-off you keep onsite for various items like broken windows, ceiling tiles, broken furniture or bulk items. See below for more detail.

C&D Recycling

Construction & Demolition debris (also known as C&D)  includes cement, ceiling tiles, carpeting, bricks, plumbing, wall board and many other materials can be recycled.  While some projects may choose to segregate various materials onsite (which can fetch a higher rebate), others may commingle materials for segregation and recycling off site, due to space constraints or simplicity.  Either way, contractors can document and report diversion types and amounts for LEED credits, award or other reporting.

Construction and Major Renovations

For construction or major renovation projects, hospitals (or the system) should write C&D recycling into the contract with the contractor/construction company. Many contractors & construction companies now routinely track C&D recycling as part of tracking for LEED credits or other green building rating systems. Included in that contract should be language that makes it clear that:

• Any rebates for recycling C&D materials (especially metals) should come back to the hospital in the form of a rebate
• All C&D wastes recycled should be tracked by final destination and volume and reported to the hospital on a monthly basis
• Contractor/construction company should also delineate whether materials will be sorted onsite or comingled.
• Percent of C&D wastes recycled (out of total C&D waste) should also be reported—this is the LEED indicator required under the Materials & Resources Credit 2 in LEED for HC. 50% threshold for 1 point or 75% threshold for 2 points. (Excavated soil or land-clearing debris do not count toward this credit). 95% diversion is the threshold for exemplary performance.
• If doing a tear down as part of the project, hospital and contractor should determine together where usable materials should go and write those disposal methods into the contract with timelines for removal—i.e. casework, lighting fixtures, switches, etc. can often be donated to Habitat for Humanity instead of thrown away. This lowers waste costs & volumes and provides beneficial reuse while reducing environmental impact.
• Roll-offs should be placed where possible in a secure area or fenced area inaccessible to the public to prevent dumping.

Minor Renovations and Open Tops

For minor renovation projects or open top containers used for bulky item disposal, it also makes sense to put as much of the above language as possible into the contract—where feasible and appropriate. Likely this container is managed by your solid waste company in many instances, but could be a C&D contractor if you have a specific minor renovation with a large volume of C&D or bulky waste. A few other things to consider:

• Again, open tops/roll-offs should be placed where possible in a secure area or fenced area inaccessible to the public to prevent dumping.
• Post signage making it clear that dumping is illegal.
• Ensure security services keep an eye on open top locations. Anything dumped into accessible containers becomes the responsibility of the hospital—including things like controlled substances, hazardous waste etc. that could result in a fine for the institution.
• Contract should indicate that these containers are paid by the pull and that pulls are on an on-call basis. Facility Management should call when container is full. This ensures facility is not paying to have container emptied weekly when it may only be 50% or less full—incurring unnecessary waste costs. Because these open tops are not typically collecting organic waste that has odors and attracts pests, an on-call pick-up method typically works.
• Analyze how many of these containers are being used. Again if you have 3 roll-offs in different areas that are all being under-utilized and the hospital is paying for weekly pulls regardless, costs can add up. See where the facility can aggregate container locations where possible.

Other Considerations

• It may make sense to create a system-wide set of guidelines or policy that can inform individual facility contracts. This would ensure consistency of language, may aid in bargaining related to pricing and would ensure “sustainability” of criteria through staff changes/turnover.
• There are a variety of companies that manage these wastes. Contractors and construction companies worth their salt should have the capability to track C&D wastes as noted above. This tracking is much more common. If they say they can’t, consider another company. Ensure this language is part of the RFP/bid process instead of leaving it to contract negotiation where possible.

The Green Guide for Health Care has detailed information and links for specifications and reporting at www.gghc.org.

The Institutional Recycling Network is the trusted outlet in New England for multi-material recycling.  The website features case studies, including documentation of over a 90% recycling rate on construction jobs.