Press Contact: Sophie Cardona: (212) 361-2400, ext. 244 , or email cardona@informinc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, ­ November 13, 1998

INFORM FINDS CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS TO BE A HUGE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE

New York, NY -- New York City may be paying $100 to $500 million dollars a year to dispose of waste resulting from the construction and demolition of municipal buildings, much of which might not have to be generated in the first place, according to a report released today by INFORM, a national non-profit environmental research organization.

The report, Building for the Future: Strategies to Reduce Construction and Demolition Waste in Municipal Projects, by Bette Fishbein, Senior Research Fellow, looked at the C&D waste stream in New York City and analyzed opportunities for reduction and reuse. "While the project was developed for New York City, the strategies are applicable to a broad range of construction projects," Fishbein noted.

C&D Waste: Mountains of Trash Costing Millions in Disposal
In New York City and cities around the country, construction and demolition (C&D) debris -- the waste that is produced as we build, renovate, and demolish buildings – is a significant source of waste even when compared to the total municipal waste stream, the ordinary garbage that comes from households and businesses. This municipal waste stream in 1995 totaled 208 million tons according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The most recent EPA study put the amount of C&D waste generated nationally at a staggering 136 million tons in 1996. Fishbein made the point, "The C&D waste stream is huge, but it has been given little attention compared to municipal wastes."

While no one knows exactly how much C&D waste is generated in New York City, a 1995 New York City Department of Sanitation report estimated the volume of C&D waste to be about 2.25 million tons each year, the equivalent of 1.76 pounds of garbage per person per day. Approximately half of all C&D waste generated in the city comes from municipal projects. (Spending $3 billion annually on construction, New York City has the third largest public works program in the nation, just behind that of the federal government and the State of California.) INFORM calculated that, at a cost of $75 a ton, the city is spending anywhere from $100 million to $500 million to get rid of its municipal C&D waste.

INFORM Identifies Simple Strategies to Prevent Waste That Can Save Money
In the report, Fishbein identified strategies used in projects around the country during the design, construction, and demolition phases of building projects that reduced the amount of C&D waste generated. "Preventing waste from being generated saves not only landfill space and disposal costs, but also reduces the amount of raw materials needed for new projects," said Fishbein. "Avoiding the use of new materials in favor of reusing old materials is clearly the sustainable choice." The waste prevention strategies that INFORM identified include:

• Reusing existing buildings rather than demolishing and constructing new buildings from scratch. The California Gas Company found that by reusing an existing building it was able to save 60% of the materials and $3 million dollars, or 45%, in construction costs.
  
• Using space more efficiently by rethinking the concept of "dedicated space". Space can be shared among agencies, among departments within agencies and among individuals. Many companies, such as Du Pont, are pioneering new approaches to space allocation.
  
• Designing buildings with reuse in mind. Using moveable wall systems, for example, saves Bank of America in San Francisco 70% in avoided renovation, demolition, and disposal costs every time it remodels offices.
  
• Using standard lengths and sheet sizes reduces the amount of scrap produced. In Tucson, Arizona, architects and contractors have found that using standard sizes reduces waste in everything from lumber, masonry block, and plywood to floor tiles.
  
• Developing an on-site waste plan. For example, the Four Times Square construction project in New York City requires every contractor to report on waste generated and materials recycled.
  
• Carefully "deconstructing" rather than demolishing buildings allowing materials to be reused rather than discarded. At Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the community had the opportunity to dismantle and remove buildings from the now closed military base. So far, 73 buildings have been salvaged, saving an estimated 70% in demolition and disposal costs and reducing landfilled materials by an estimated 85%.

Obstacles to Waste Prevention Identified by INFORM
INFORM found that barriers to widespread implementation of the strategies outlined in the report include:

• High labor costs and low disposal fees, which make it difficult to choose construction methods that may help reduce waste but also take time.
• Shortage of space for storage. Many of the strategies require space for the collection and storage of reusable and salvaged materials, which is can be at a premium especially in cities.
• Regulations requiring multiple contractors. Laws such as New York State's Wicks Law require separate contractors for the different building trades, which can lead to increased errors and waste due to poor on-site communication.