Green Solutions for Construction,

Renovation and Demolitions Waste

October 27, 2010 - Earlier this month, the C&D Recycling Forum brought together key experts from a variety of backgrounds, including general and demolition contractors, government officials and waste and recycling representatives. During this event, much of the discussion focused on ways to divert the waste that is generated during construction, renovation and demolition projects, through recycling and other diversion methods.

During this event, my colleague, Jim Halter, Vice President for Construction Solutions for Waste Management, shed light on some of the issues and challenges the construction and demolition sector faces, particularly in terms of diverting this waste away from landfills. Of note, during 2008 alone, the U.S. generated 143.5 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris. And according to the Waste Business Journal, only 28 percent of this waste was reused, recycled or sent to waste-to-energy facilities. Today, at more than 40 percent of the national waste stream, C&D waste represents the largest single source of our waste. This clearly presents a need for effective and environmentally conscious management of this large volume of waste. {read rest}