Construction & Demolition Debris Reduction - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Construction & Demolition Debris Reduction

Course Outline

This three-hour online course provides general guidance for the reduction, reuse and recycling of construction and demolition (C & D) debris. Opportunities for reduction are considered for each stage of a project beginning with design and carried through to the construction, renovation and/ or demolition stages. The advantages and limitations of methods used for debris reduction are discussed. Also presented are methods for reusing and recycling debris and existing markets for the debris. Case studies are presented showing the steps taken for successful recovery operations and the lessons learned.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the completion of this course, the student will have reviewed these topics:

Impacts on the environment caused by products and materials used in a building;
Removal methods used to reduce construction and demolition debris;
Benefits of reuse and recycling C&D debris;
Measures for handling, stockpiling and storing waste materials generated by C & D;
SOP for reusing and recycling C&D debris at the project site;
Benefits of deconstruction versus demolition of a building that must be removed;
Measures to include in the contract specifications which enable successful removal of C&D debris;
Available sources and markets for materials and waste handling;
Planning required making a building greener by using materials more efficiently;
Comparison of costs for reducing debris versus normal disposal; and
Examples of successful recovery projects.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for civil engineers, planners and contractors.

Benefit to Attendees

The student will become familiar with the guidelines for the reduction, reuse and recycling of construction and demolition (C & D) debris.

Course Introduction

Some states like California require a percentage of C&D debris be reused to reduce landfill use. The course shows these measures are effective in reducing C, & D debris:

incorporate C & D reduction in the contract specifications and monitor the process in order to be successful
establish SOP for reuse and recycling at the construction site
use more durable products for longer life before replacement is necessary
salvage C&D debris for sale, donation and reuse
use building material having recycled content such as carpeting, floor tiles, counter tops and restroom dividers
rehabilitate an existing building in place of demolition when feasible

The above measures used to reduce, reuse and recycle debris can cut expenses by:

avoiding disposal fees, transportation costs and purchasing new costs
generating revenue from the sales of recovered items
gaining tax deductions from donation

Course Content

This course is based on the US Environmental Protection Agency publication, “WasteWise Update - Building for the Future”, EPA 1110-2-2002 (2002 Edition, 16 pages), PDF file. The course is also based on the US EPA publication, “Building Savings - Strategies for Waste Reduction of Construction and Demolition Debris from Buildings”, EPA-530-F-00-001 (2000 Edition, 20 pages), PDF file.

The links to the those documents are:

“WasteWise Update - Building for the Future”, EPA 1110-2-2002

Building Savings - Strategies for Waste Reduction of Construction and Demolition Debris from Buildings”, EPA-530-F-00-001

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

This course serves as a guide for successful planning and implementation of C&D reduction for construction, renovation and demolition projects. Methods used for reusing and recycling of debris, sources for the materials and the costs for waste reduction versus disposal are presented along with successful examples of C&D projects.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please refer to:

http://www.epa.gov/cpg
EPA’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) has information about buying recycled-content products as well as contacts for manufacturers and suppliers of recycled-content products.
http://www.build.recycle.net/
Site for recycled building materials, C & D associations, publications etc. Presents companies and organizations involved in used building materials.
http://www.cce.ufl.edu/
University of Florida Center for construction and environment conducts research for C&D projects and tips on C&D reuse and recycling covering various types of building projects to reduce environmental impacts.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.