Industry News

// Regulatory Issues

EPA Proposes Revisions to NHSM Rule to Clarify C&D Wood Use in Boilers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released proposed revisions to its Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Rule (NHSM) designed to provide some additional clarity to how scrap wood can be used in boilers.

When the initial rule was issued in March 2011, representatives from several organizations that supply secondary materials to boilers or operate boilers formed an ad hoc committee and met with EPA to provide background information on recycled-content fuels and how the rule would negatively affect the industry.

The proposed amendments and clarifications from the EPA were made “on certain issues on which EPA received new information,” as well as “specific targeted revisions that are appropriate in order to allow implementation of the rule as EPA originally intended,” the agency says.

EPA says it is revising several definitions that were included in the final rule. “In the case of ‘clean cellulosic biomass,’ EPA is identifying specific materials that EPA believes are included within the current definition and would thus be considered a traditional non-waste fuel, including: agricultural derived biomass, other crop residues, other biomass crops used for the production of cellulosic biofuels, hogged fuel, untreated wood pallets, wood pellets and wood debris from urban areas.”

In addition, the EPA is proposing adding a process for an owner or operator of a facility to petition EPA to categorically list non-hazardous secondary materials as being a non-waste when used as a fuel. EPA is proposing to create a rulemaking petition process that would provide the opportunity to submit a rulemaking petition, seeking a categorical determination for additional NHSMs to be listed as non-waste fuels.

The revisions also identify two secondary materials—”resinated wood products” and tires managed under established tire collection programs—as non-wastes when used as a fuel.

Regarding changes to scrap wood fuels, a Midwestern mixed C&D recycler says, “The [revision] didn’t help us to the degree where we wanted it to.” The good news, he says, is that EPA “is indicating that wood derived from demolition operations, if not painted or stained, is [an acceptable] fuel and would meet legitimacy requirements.” His concern, shared by the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) and the National Demolition Association (NDA), is that recyclers may “still have to go through a testing process—each facility would have to have that.”

The C&D recycler said operators of facilities like his “would like further loosening” from that restriction.

EPA says it intends to finalize the reconsideration in Spring 2012.

Jason Haus discusses the EPA rule and what the industry is doing at www.cdrecycler.com/cd-recycling-forum-video-jason-haus-epa-rule.aspx

// Conference Coverage

Southeast C&D Debris Recycling Conference: Opportunity Knocks
Tom Sheehy, director of Construction Solutions for Houston-based Waste Management (WM), said his company does not view the construction and demolition material it receives as waste. As a speaker during the opening session of the Southeast C&D Debris Recycling Conference, held in early December 2011 in Columbia, S.C., he told attendees that extracting more value from the C&D materials stream involves cooperation between building owners, contractors, processors, government agencies, educational instructions and others.

In his presentation, Sheehy noted that WM CEO David Steiner told attendees of an AGC (Association of General Contractors) conference in Las Vegas that someday he envisions WM “paying our contractors for their waste.”

By making operations more sustainable, more value can be extracted from the materials stream. “It allows you to make more money. It allows shareholders to be happy, and it is good for the environment, so it is a win-win-win,” said Sheehy, adding, “It is how Waste Management, from the senior level on down, views waste.”

“Our tag line, ‘Think green, think Waste Management’ is not just a marketing slogan,” Sheehy said, “but in fact a reality.”

WM operates 18 C&D recycling facilities in the United States. The challenge, according to Sheehy, is that those facilities are only recycling about 500,000 tons of C&D materials out of an estimated 165 million tons of C&D debris that is landfilled.

“So we are only capturing a small part of the opportunity that is out there,” remarked Sheehy.

He identified what he said are the top six challenges facing C&D recycling:

1. Industry resistance to change. Owners and project managers can be more receptive than supervisors.
2. Local recycling market conditions. Markets for commodities and sorting technology vary widely by location.
3. Market awareness. This is why Sheehy said he appreciates the opportunity to participate in the conference and why WM has more than 200 employees dedicated to construction services sales.
4. Perceived to be too costly. There is an opportunity to better understand and quantify the value of commodities extracted from construction and demolition material.
5. Usually requires more space at a site. Sheehy encourages a construction waste management plan and partner involvement from design through occupancy.
6. Industry guidelines. “Every recycling processor needs to be held to the same standard.”

He told attendees Waste Management Sustainability Services consultants can assist design teams in identifying and integrating viable sustainable design strategies into new construction and existing buildings for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. In addition, WM has recently launched a tool to help measure diversion rates on job sites. Krystal Brown, account manager for WM Construction Solutions, demonstrated at the December event how the online DART (Diversion and Recycling Tracking) tool works.

The Southeast C&D Debris Recycling Conference, organized by the Carolina Recycling Association, was held Dec. 6-8, 2011, in Columbia, S.C.

// Highways & Roads

Pennsylvania House Approves Legislation to Study Use of Recycled Slate in Highway Projects
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed legislation that would request the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) conduct a study on the possibility of slate waste being used in highway construction projects. The legislation was introduced by State Rep. Julie Harhart (R-Northampton/Lehigh).

“Our local companies are proactively looking to partner with the state to reuse these materials in a productive and responsible way. A study will help to pinpoint just what uses may be most appropriate and possible,” says Harhart.

House Resolution 70 specifically requests PennDOT to conduct a study of the slate industry to determine the feasibility of using recycled slate in projects associated with highway construction, concrete aggregate and drain fields, or as a skid-resistance aggregate.

“Due to the processes of manufacturing slate, there is waste that the companies are looking to dispose [of],” says Harhart. “The companies, seeking to be as responsible as possible with the byproduct of the industry, have been contacting me over the past several years to help facilitate having slate waste included in the various approved recyclable materials PennDOT uses for highway construction projects and other applications.”

The legislation calls for PennDOT to report its findings to the General Assembly and the governor’s office within six months of adoption of the resolution.

// Company News

Explosives Bring Down Grain Elevator in Calgary
The agricultural product company Cargill, based in Minneapolis, plans to recycle 99.7 percent of the rubble created from the implosion of a grain elevator in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, according to a report in the Calgary Herald. The implosion took place on Oct. 24, 2011.

Part of the reason Cargill plans to divert so much debris from the landfill is that the city of Calgary has increased its tipping fees for C&D (construction and demolition) debris from C$50 per metric ton four years ago to C$135 per metric ton, says the newspaper report.

Cargill will crush and re-use the concrete on-site to fill the hole where the elevator was situated. Rebar steel scrap and copper contained within will be processed and sold. The company expects the clean-up of the site to take approximately 10 weeks.

According to the report, Calgary’s city government plans to address what it says has been a major dumping problem among generators of C&D materials. Its plan includes setting a goal to divert 80 percent of such materials generated in the city from landfills by 2020.

The news report claims Cargill’s recycling efforts are rare in Calgary, where only 10 percent of C&D debris is diverted from the city landfill. A video of the implosion is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgM5As5k9LM.

// Asphalt Shingles

Iowa County Begins Recycling Shingles
The Cedar Rapids/Linn County (Iowa) Solid Waste Agency has begun recycling asphalt shingles and expects to divert 6,000 to 10,000 tons of shingles over the next year.

The agency is working with Eastern Iowa Construction, Marion, Iowa. Eastern Iowa Construction’s spinoff company, RAS Suppliers LLC, will recycle the asphalt shingles for asphalt paving. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun trials using recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in some of its road projects.

// Association Activities

NDA Launches Demolition Career Connection
The National Demolition Association (NDA), Doylestown, Pa., has launched a new service that puts job seekers in touch with employers and recruiters looking for qualified candidates. The Demolition Career Connection is the latest addition to the NDA website to give association members and site visitors a way to make meaningful connections in the demolition industry, the association says.

“While there are sites out there that list jobs of every description, there is none until now that specifically targets those professionals in the demolition industry,” says Mike Taylor, NDA executive director. “Ours is a niche industry requiring a specific set of job skills and knowledge. Our Demolition Career Connection will help make the right connections for people looking for positions and those offering them.”

Job seekers coming to the Demolition Career Connection found in the “Our Industry” section of the NDA website can post their resumes, view jobs that are available, create personal alerts each time a relevant job is posted, and manage their account. The service is free. Employers can view all posted resumes, search for specific skills, background, and experience, and post available jobs on the site.

Several pricing options are available for employers and recruiters such as a choice of 30- and 60-day postings, along with secondary exposure for the job posting on all sites within the Job Board Network.

“The National Demolition Association is intent on providing its members the kinds of services they are looking for to enhance their careers,” Taylor says. More infromation is available at www.demolitionassociation.com.

// Company News

Wisconsin DNR Makes Determination on Proposed C&D Recycling Facility
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has made a preliminary determination that a proposed C&D material recovery processing facility in Lafayette, Wis., will not have a negative impact on the environment.

According to a news release issued by the DNR, Construction Materials Recycling LLC is proposing to construct and operate a construction and demolition (C&D) facility at the B.R. Amon & Sons asphalt plant and gravel pit in Lafayette.

Construction Materials Recycling LLC says it will recycle C&D materials at the site. The recycled materials include old corrugated containers, mixed paper, concrete, metals, shingles, plastics, wood and other materials with available recycling end markets.

Although an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required, the news release says its DNR recommendation does not represent final decisions.

The Environmental Assessment (EA) provides background information for evaluation of project permit applications. The EA and application materials are used to determine whether the specific standards for granting a permit can be met.

Materials to be recycled will come from projects within an identified service area primarily consisting of portions of Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties in Wisconsin, and the northern half of two Illinois counties. All processing will be performed on a seven-acre paved surface that will be constructed within the existing gravel pit area on the property. This site is subject to regulatory stormwater management and runoff controls. The processing area will be located adjacent to the existing BR Amon hot mix asphalt plant shingle recycling operation. Due to the outdoor operations, the facility will operate only from April through December.

Construction Materials Recycling LLC anticipates that residential roofing shingles, which have been accepted at the BR Amon asphalt plant since September 2007, will account for more than 50 percent of the C&D materials accepted at its processing operation.

 

// Green Building

University of North Texas Stadium Receives LEED Platinum Certification
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded the University of North Texas’ (UNT) Apogee Stadium in Denton, Texas, LEED Platinum Certification, making it the first newly constructed collegiate football stadium in the U.S. to achieve the highest level of LEED certification, says the university.

“This is a great accomplishment for UNT and strongly underscores our commitment to sustainability,” says UNT President V. Lane Rawlins. “UNT is a leader in environmental research and sustainability, and the fact that we have the first LEED Platinum football stadium is an example of our commitment and our plans for the future.”

Part of that certification was obtained by promoting sustainable and recycled materials, including:

• 75 percent of construction waste materials were recycled by the stadium’s contractor and prevented from being dumped in a landfill.
• Of the products and materials used in the construction of the stadium, 20 percent were made with recycled content and more than 47 percent were manufactured locally.
• To further reduce CO₂ emissions, higher percentages of fly ash were substituted for cement to construct the concrete portions of the project.

The UNT System led the construction of the stadium, which was designed by HKS Sports and Entertainment Group and built by Manhattan Construction Group, Tulsa, Okla.

Three wind turbines will feed the electrical grid that powers the stadium.Apogee Stadium is being touted as the first collegiate stadium designed to incorporate onsite renewable wind energy.