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Pacific Southwest, Region 9

Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations

Construction and Demolition Debris

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Regional Initiatives

Design for Disassembly (DfD) Resource Handbook and Case Study
Chartwell School,Exiting EPA (disclaimer)a nonprofit school in Monterey, California, is designing a new school that will be a model of sustainable design. The project will document specific design for disassembly strategies by developing construction details and systems that can be removed as intact salvageable components and rating components on ease of deconstruction and documenting the process, systems, and materials used. Some focus areas include: advanced wood framing strategies; exposed utility systems; removable fasteners and bio-based adhesives replacing traditional adhesives; and plans for easy intact removal of doors, windows, and skylights.
Project Date: 2004

Construction and Demolition Waste Reduction Program
Stardust Building Supplies, Inc. Exiting EPA (disclaimer), a nonprofit organization, will review demolition and renovation permits, and contact home owners and realtors to provide deconstruction services. The organization will divert reusable building materials from landfills and offer them to nonprofit housing and shelter groups and the public at discounted rates. This project will lead to: an electronic manual supporting the creation of similar operations with a methodology for most efficient capture of materials; outreach materials and presentations for homeowners, the construction industry, and reclaimed building material consumers; and significant measurement documentation.
Project Dates: 8/30/2001 - 8/30/2003

Recycled Content Building Materials GreenSpec Project
Building Green, Inc. Exiting EPA (disclaimer), publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec guide, is researching and identifying recycled content building materials meeting the U.S. EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for recycled products in the Construction, Landscaping, Transformation, and Park and Recreation product categories. In addition, project availability in the major metropolitan areas of EPA Region 9 is being identified.
Project Dates: 7/13/2001 to 3/01/2002

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Construction and Demolition Debris Source Reduction and Recycling Project
The Community Environmental Council Exiting EPA (disclaimer) worked with a team of stakeholders in Santa Barbara County to identify, develop, and implement model guidelines to expand material reuse and construction and demolition debris recycling on construction, renovation, and demolition projects. General C&D recycling information and three pilot projects with construction and demolition diversion rates of 83 percent, 93 percent, and 86 percent were documented in the following fact sheets:

Project Dates: 10/01/1998 - 10/31/2000

Public Building Deconstruction and Reuse in the San Francisco Bay Area
The Materials for the Future foundation worked with numerous partner agencies to facilitate deconstruction projects at 4 project sites to divert approximately 1,877 tons of material, create 181 deconstruction jobs with associated job training, provide technical assistance on deconstruction to 13 organizations, and leverage more than $600,000 in job training and community development funding. The project initially targeted deconstruction and job training opportunities at closing military bases, but was expanded to include projects at Naval Air Station Alameda, Port of Oakland, North Fork Mill, and the Redwood Community due to long decision-making at many of the closing bases targeted. In addition to the creation of case studies, fact sheets and a video on these projects, the project resulted in the development of Community Woodworks , a nonprofit mill producing products from deconstructed

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lumber in Oakland, CA.
Project Date: 1997

For information on specific state regulations for C&D debris, see Region 9 State Links.

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