CMRA tackles legislative issues.

* The mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors of the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) focused on legislative issues, current projects of the association and the association's financial status.

The meeting was held in Copper Mountain, Colo., to evaluate the status of the association and the C&D industry and make sure the CMRA was continuing to act as needed to help address the industry's issues. One of those issues remains the question of hydrogen sulfide gas, or H2S gas, generated by alternative daily cover (ADC) products made from recycled C&D debris. Greg Wirsen of Green Seal Environmental Inc. (GSE), Sandwich, Mass., and director of the CMRA's New England Chapter, provided an update on a pilot project C&D recyclers in the region are proposing to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to find ways to best use C&D fines. Currently the group is looking for a suitable site for the pilot project, which will involve mixing the fines with contaminated soils.

The CMRA has expressed concerns that if ADC is no longer an acceptable outlet for recycled C&D debris, it will be difficult for contractors and recyclers to live up to the state's disposal ban on C&D material.

The status of ADC from C&D in other parts of the country was also discussed. In Iowa, board member Rob Hosier, General Companies, reported on a couple of new market outlets that have developed, including one where the material is used as a fill material. Phillip Nappi, Tennessee Waste, described how his state now allows the use of C&D fines in projects on a case-by-case basis.

On the concrete recycling side there were reports on legislation the CMRA is backing that will promote the use of recycled aggregates, especially in the highway environment. Progress has been made on this front, although it remains only small steps that continue to lead to more use of the product.

The board also discussed a recent membership recruitment effort done for the CMRA by a professional recruiting firm. The results were not as positive as expected, althought it was noted that it is difficult for any association to gain membership. The board agreed to continue using the firm for more outreach, and that it would become more active in the development of materials for the recruiting firm to use.

But before that effort takes place, the CMRA board wants to see the organization's main Web site, www. cdrecycling.org, updated and improved. The CMRA has more information and services available now then it did when the site was established five years ago and wants the site to reflect the new information. A bid has been received and accepted to begin work reconstructing the site.

A report was heard from Robert Brickner, GBB Inc., about a survey his firm performed for the CMRA trying to get an estimate on how much C&D is recycled in the United States. After describing to the board the methodology used to determine the numbers, Brickner says that about 155 million tons of concrete and 28 million tons of mixed C&D were recycled in 2005.

The brochure for the 2007 C&D Recycling Awards program will be mailed out shortly so that the winners can be announced at the Annual Meeting Jan. 14-17, 2007, in San Antonio. More information about the event is available at www.cdworldshow.com. The 2008 meeting will be held in conjunction with ConExpoCon/Agg in March 2008.

The financial status of the CMRA was reported to include $43,817 in its account as of June 30, 2006.