Regal effort: Washington's King County helps contractors establish recycling methods.Efforts by municipal and county governments to encourage construction site recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. are continuing in King County, Wash. The county government is actively working with area companies through its Construction Works Program Noun 1. works program - a program to provide jobs on public works paid for by government funds program, programme - a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need; "he proposed an elaborate program of public works"; "working mothers rely on the day , which is co-sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division and the Business and Industry Resource Venture in Seattle, Washington  This page is protected from moves until disputes have been resolved on the .The reason for its protection is listed on the protection policy page. . As a regional government, King County has worked for several years promoting construction site recycling through its Construction Works Program. This includes providing assistance to construction companies that want to save money and resources. With construction waste comprising nearly 25 percent of the total waste stream in King County and a strong infrastructure for recycling most common construction materials, many opportunities are available to promote the environmental practices of local construction companies. The increasing popularity of the green building movement continues to influence projects in the area as well, with construction site recycling often being the cornerstone of a company's green building policy. FOUR-ALARM SUCCESS One recent Constuction Works effort took place during the construction of a new fire station in the City of Issaquah in King County, which achieved a 94 percent recycling rate and a savings of'40 percent on the estimated disposal bill. The general contractor A general contractor is an organization or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or any other execution of work or facility. on the project, Sierra Construction, based in Woodinville, Wash., has raised the bar for environmental building through practices such as using recycled-content materials in more than one-third of the interior and exterior elements, including metal roofing and rubber flooring. Further, excavated soils were taken to a nearby housing development where they were combined with compost compost, substance composed mainly of partly decayed organic material that is applied to fertilize the soil and to increase its humus content; it is often used in vegetable farming, home gardens, flower beds, lawns, and greenhouses. to create a topsoil mix and then returned to the fire station site. Sierra Construction is the newest member in a select group of contractors in King County who, through King County's Construction Works Program, are realizing the economic and environmental benefits of recycling and using recycled-content building materials Building materials used in the construction industry to create . These categories of materials and products are used by and construction project managers to specify the materials and methods used for . . All public and private, commercial and residential projects are eligible for recognition by the Construction Works Program. Several projects have achieved notable recycling amounts and been recognized by King County's Construction Works Program, falling into different sectors of the building market. PUBLIC PROJECTS * The King County Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center recycled 75 percent of its leftover material, saving roughly 20 percent on hauling and disposal fees. The contractor was W.G. Clark Construction Co., Seattle. * King County achieved an 84 percent recycling rate in the demolition phase of the Central Atlantic Base parking garage and bus parking project. The project required demolition of two city blocks. As a result of early planning and coordination with adjacent projects, the project easily achieved the LEED[TM] Construction Waste Management credit (MR Credit 2.0). The lead contractor was Iconco Demolition and Salvage, Seattle. * King Street Center, home to 1,400 county employees, achieved an 80 percent recycling rate, including large amounts of concrete, soil and granite during the demolition phase. The lead contractor was Lease Crutcher Lewis, Seattle. * King County's Kingdome, a domed football and baseball stadium, yeas imploded im·plode v. im·plod·ed, im·plod·ing, im·plodes v.intr. To collapse inward violently. v.tr. 1. To cause to collapse inward violently. 2. to make way for a new stadium, leaving enormous amounts of concrete and steel rebar re·bar n. 1. A rod or bar used for reinforcement in concrete or asphalt pourings. 2. A group of such rods forming a grid. [re(inforcing) bar.] to be recycled. The project achieved an impressive 90 percent recycling rate. The lead contractor was Turner Construction Turner Construction Company is one of the largest construction management companies in the United States with a construction volume of $8.5 billion in 2006. According to Engineering News-Record Co., New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS * With 10 active housing developments, and plans to sell 1,800 new homes next year, Quadrant quadrant, in analytic geometry quadrant. 1 In analytic geometry, one of the four regions of the plane determined by two lines, the x-axis and the y-axis. Homes, Bellevue, Wash., generates thousands of tons of scrap construction materials per month. But thanks to a comprehensive and aggressive recycling program, only a portion of that waste goes to the landfill. Collectively, Quadrant Homes has an average recycling rate of 70 percent. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a Construction and Demolition Waste Construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) includes all wastes arising from construction/building industries, demolition or directly, to man or the environment [1]. Characterization and Recycling Industry Profile report prepared by the King County Solid Waste Division in 2002, the individual recycling efforts of construction firms have added up to an impressive overall recycling rate for construction materials in King County, estimated at 65 percent. To qualify for membership in Construction Works, contractors must commit to fulfilling certain recycling and waste-reduction criteria. Specifically, a recycling rate of at least 60 percent must he achieved, and the use of six building materials containing recycled-content must be used. A plan to include sub-contractors and vendors in the effort is also required. By doing so, builders consistently report dramatic savings as well as making their projects eligible to receive a range of benefits by becoming members. Benefits include customized technical assistance to set up or increase recycling and waste reduction, public recognition, listing on the county's Web site, hardhat hard·hat or hard-hat n. 1. a. A lightweight protective helmet, usually of metal or reinforced plastic, worn by workers in industrial settings. b. Informal A construction worker. 2. decals for crews and jobsite banners. Members also receive a nomination for a county environmental award bestowed to local businesses on Earth Day. BEYOND RECYCLING Construction Works membership makes it easy to qualify for the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. (LEED) Materials and Resources credit 2.0. Many projects would be eligible to earn two points in this category by achieving a 75 percent landfill diversion Waste diversion or landfill diversion is the process of diverting waste from landfill and is typically measured by weight. Landfill diversion can occur through recycling, regiving, or biological treatment such as anaerobic digestion or composting or also through rate. A 50 percent diversion rate is necessary to earn one point. As green building becomes more of a mainstream requirement by building owners, contractors are being asked to work with designers to deliver projects with environmental features that include the use of salvaged items and recycled-content building materials. In addition to contributing to broader environmental goals such as LEED, contractors report additional benefits of recycling, including good public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most and a cleaner and safer work site. Those who wish to learn more about construction recycling and green building in Washington State can visit King County's Web site at: www.metrokc.gov/ greenworks, and click on "Construction Works." The author is a program manager for the King County Solid Waste Division and has worked with the construction industry for nearly 10 years on jobsite recycling issues. Comments on or inquiries about the Construction Works program can be directed toward Katie.spataro@metrokc.gov. Building Materials Recycling Rates in King County (2002) C&D MATERIAL ESTIMATED TYPE RECOVERY RATE Wood 60-66% Concrete >95% Gypsum 25-30% Roofing 5-10% Glass <1% Carpet/Padding < 11% |
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