Green Challenge: Zero Waste

Can you envision a future when the concept of “waste” does not exist? When archeologists studying our culture are surprised to find precious natural resources buried in our landfills. Perhaps future societies will mine these landfills for eco-treasure, providing precious material for manufacturing and buildings. Until that time, we believe that one of the most important ways the construction industry can protect the environment and preserve natural resources is to greatly reduce or entirely eliminate construction waste.

Impact

Americans generate 135 million tons of construction waste annually and it is estimated that as much as 40 percent of the total waste sent to municipal solid waste facilities each year is construction related. A 50,000 square foot new construction project typically generates 97 tons of waste. When organic materials such as wood and cardboard eventually break down in landfills, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Extracting raw materials and manufacturing new building products have significant economic and environmental impacts. Not only are these materials unnecessarily filling our waste facilities, they represent a lost opportunity to recycle or reuse valuable resources.

Solution

XL Construction believes that the general contractor should be a leader in reducing the environmental impact of waste through the effective management of construction waste and debris. The US Green Building Council’s LEED certification process requires the contractor to divert a minimum of 50 percent of the construction waste from landfill in order to receive the Construction Waste Management credit. XL has set a goal to achieve this level, as a minimum, on every project and to achieve even higher levels when the project is registered for LEED certification. To this end, XL’s strategies for waste-reduction and materials reuse include:

  • Reusing existing buildings and construction materials wherever possible
  • Repurposing unused building materials for new uses
  • Diverting construction waste from landfill through recycling programs

Recent examples of these efforts include two projects: LEED Silver certified BD Biosciences in San Jose, CA, where 82 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills, and a new building for a confidential client in Sunnyvale, CA, with pending LEED certification, where 99.5 percent of the waste was diverted. In addition, XL Construction successfully employed waste reduction and reuse strategies in renovating its own Milpitas, CA headquarters, achieving 96 percent waste diversion and reusing much of the structure of an existing building. The project was recognized with USGBC LEED Silver certification and an award by the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the AIA for Adaptive Reuse and Renovation.  

To ensure that issues such as waste management are planned for and successfully implemented, XL typically takes responsibility for managing the LEED Certification process for its clients.  In fact, the XL Construction team administered the certification process on 80 percent of the firm’s LEED projects.

Each project begins with the development of a Waste Management Plan, establishing goals for achieving the highest possible levels of waste diversion and materials reuse. The plan serves as a communication tool throughout the project, so that all team members, including the owner, architect and subcontractors can support the effort.

The key elements of XL Construction’s Waste Management Plan include:

  • A site audit for renovation projects identifying potential materials for reuse or recycling
  • Instructions to bidders communicating the expectations for reuse and waste diversion
  • Instructions for how specific materials will be managed and diverted from the waste stream
  • A site logistic plan that creates an effective and efficient means to segregate materials to be diverted from landfill
  • Proper training and communication of the Waste Management Plan requirements
  • Monitoring of project site to ensure that plans are implemented
  • Clear documentation and tracking of waste through project completion

As noted environmental architect William McDonough says, “There is no away.”  The fact is, it is neither environmentally nor financially responsible to throw our construction waste “away.” We must find ways to reuse what we once thought of as waste. It is XL Construction’s aim to achieve zero waste as the standard for the firm’s best practices.

For more information on construction waste best practices and initiatives, check out the following links:

http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding
http://www.zerowaste.ca.gov/
http://www.wbdg.org/resources/cwmgmt.php
http://www.informedesign.umn.edu/Rs_detail.aspx?rsId=3170