Industry news

// Mergers & acquisitions

Western Elite expands through acquisition

Western Elite, headquartered in Las Vegas, has acquired the waste management division of Par 3 Landscaping & Maintenance. According to Western Elite, the deal makes it southern Nevada’s second largest waste management and recycling company.

Ryan Williams, Western Elite CEO, says, “We have worked with Par 3 for several years, and as our customer demands increased, it was a very natural next step for both of our companies for Western Elite to acquire the waste management side of Par 3’s company. This change will allow both companies to focus on what they do best.”

With the acquisition, Western Elite now operates two material recovery facilities (MRFs) and is affiliated with Western Elite’s Class I landfill.

“We have been growing rapidly across the Las Vegas valley to meet increasing customer demands for great service in the recycling and waste industry. We continue to search for innovative business expansion ideas, and we anticipate more announcements in the future,” Williams adds.

Western Elite operates a 20,000-square-foot MRF where residential, commercial and recycling customers can drop off construction and demolition (C&D) debris and green waste.

 

// Forecasts & statistics

C&D recycling is a $7.4 billion industry

According to a new white paper titled “Benefits of C&D Recycling,” more than 70 percent of the construction and demolition (C&D) debris generated in the United States is recycled. Dr. Timothy Townsend of the University of Florida shared the findings of the white paper during a presentation C&D World 2015, the annual meeting of the Aurora, Illinois-based Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA).

The CDRA commissioned Townsend’s research team to develop the white paper. The paper reveals that the amount of landfill avoided annually from the recycling of C&D debris amounts to more than 440 acres at a waste depth of 50 feet.

Townsend, who presented during the Nashville, Tennessee-based conference March 31, added that C&D, which includes concrete, asphalt, wood, drywall, metals, asphalt shingles and many other materials generated during road, bridge and building projects, is created at a rate of nearly 480 million tons per year, making it the largest individual waste stream in the country.

The C&D white paper also provides data on the energy savings and greenhouse emissions avoided as a result of recycling C&D materials.

In the white paper, which is available to all CDRA members, it states that the C&D recycling industry is responsible for the direct support of 19,000 jobs. The direct annual output (revenue) of the industry is valued at approximately $7.4 billion.

Other key findings of the white paper include:

• facility owners have invested more than $4.5 billion in the development and construction of C&D recycling infrastructure; and
• when considering indirect and induced economic output, the industry represents a more than $17 billion contribution.

“This report proves the incredible value and importance of the C&D recycling industry,” says Valerie Montecalvo, past president of the CDRA and president of Bayshore Recycling, Keasbey, New Jersey. “This shows that C&D is one of the largest material streams in the United States, and that recycling these materials provides tremendous economic and environmental benefits.”

More in-depth information is available in the white paper. According to the CDRA, the paper was developed from the most extensive data collection ever gathered from C&D recyclers. The association adds that researchers have tried to gain information from C&D recyclers in the past, but have not been as successful.

“On behalf of the CDRA board of directors, I want to thank all of the many companies that responded to the survey, which allowed us to put together this overarching look at the industry,” says Montecalvo. “The amount of data gathered is going to allow the researchers at the University of Florida to provide more depth of understanding about our industry.”

C&D World 2015 was March 28-31 at the Music City Center in Nashville. Exclusive coverage from the event is available on the Construction & Demolition Recycling website, www.CDRecycler.com

More information about the white paper is available by contacting the CDRA at 630-585-7530 or at info@cdrecycling.org. An executive summary of the white paper’s findings is available on the CDRA website, www.cdrecycling.org.

 

// Demolition projects

Sacramento Kings demo project tops recycling goals

NBA team the Sacramento Kings, along with the city of Sacramento, California, have jointly announced that the new Entertainment and Sports Center (ESC) has exceeded its recycling goals during the demolition phase of the project. The demolition occurred between August 2014 and March 2015.

The Kings and the city say that nearly 101,000 tons of material, or more than 98 percent of the former Downtown Plaza shopping center was recycled. California state law requires the recycling of at least 50 percent of construction materials and the ESC’s project goal was to reach 75 percent.

“We’re thrilled that nearly all of the Downtown Plaza has been recycled and will find new life in projects throughout Sacramento,” says Sacramento Kings President Chris Granger.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson says, “In Sacramento, we’re starting to make a habit of setting lofty goals and then exceeding them, but recycling an amazing 98 percent of the Downtown Plaza is a spectacular notch in our belt that needs to be recognized. I could not be prouder of our city and our partners at the Kings for the commitment to sustainability during construction of what is expected to be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold arena in California.”

Materials recycled include:

• concrete: 87,000 tons;
• metal: 6,600 tons;
• wood: 51 tons;
• paper: 14.2 tons; and
• other/mixed: 6,460 tons.

Three Sacramento firms—Teichert, Bell Marine and Crete Crush—recycled nearly 88,000 tons of concrete into aggregate, with a portion being repurposed into the ESC’s foundation.

Scrap metal was handled by Portland, Oregon-based Schnitzer Steel and Cass Inc., based in Oakland. Wood and other materials were handled by Recology in Vacaville, California, and L&D Landfill, located in Sacramento.

The ESC is scheduled to open in fall of 2016.

 

// Facilities news

Zanker Road upgrades C&D processing equipment

Zanker Road Resource Management Ltd. has opened a 75-tons-per-hour construction and demolition (C&D) debris materials recovery facility (MRF) at its San Jose, California, operation. With the addition, Zanker has more than doubled its capacity to process this type of material. Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), Eugene, Oregon, designed, manufactured and installed the system.

Zanker Road says it expects to recover up to 90 percent of the inbound materials. The new C&D MRF system includes equipment for both sizing and density separation.

A primary screen and two secondary screens produce two size fractions for air separation, while four single-drum separators separate materials by density. The first separator units remove aggregate material such as rock and brick, while the second units extract wood from lighter material.

BHS CEO Steve Miller says, “The new demolition debris system is the most advanced in the country and the latest example of Zanker’s commitment to using best-in-class technology to reach its business goals while maximizing recovery.”

 

// Legal issues

Federal officials sue Maine demolition firm over unpaid fines

Federal workplace safety officials have sued Scarborough, Maine-based Downeast Construction Corp., seeking to collect fines for a series of safety violations during a demolition and asbestos removal operation at the Forster Mill complex in Wilton, Maine.

According to an article in The Bangor Daily News, U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty filed the lawsuit, seeking to enforce $271,979 worth of penalties assessed by the Occupational Hazard and Safety Administration (OSHA) after inspections in 2011.

The lawsuit alleges that Downeast Construction owner Ryan Byther has not paid or contested any of the penalties and seeks a judgment from the court for the cost of the assessed penalties and interest since the inspections.

According to the lawsuit, officials attempted to deliver notifications of the penalties to Byther in 2011 but later discovered he was in prison on charges of theft by deception and left the notification of penalties at his residence.

According to reports, Byther’s company was conducting the demolition until July 2011 when workers told federal officials the company was improperly disposing of asbestos from the building. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspected the building later that year and worked with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to hire a new contractor to finish removing the asbestos.

 

// Association activities

NDA recognizes 2015 award winners

The National Demolition Association (NDA), District of Columbia, recognized the winners of its Lifetime Achievement Award and Environmental Excellence Awards at its 42nd Annual Demolition 2015 Convention & Expo, held March 21–24 in Nashville, Tennessee. The awards commend members and industry leaders for their efforts in the demolition profession.

Awardees were acknowledged during the NDA’s 42nd annual banquet that closed out the convention.

The 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Berger Jostad of Viking Demolition, Glendale, California, for his leadership and commitment to the NDA, the association says, as well as for his commitment to the betterment of his community, company and the demolition industry as a whole.

Berger began his career in 1953 with Madison Moving and Wrecking before joining Viking Demolition in 1985. At Viking Demolition he became an active member of NDA, participating at board of director meetings and serving on several committees including stints as chairman of the public relations and awards committees. The NDA notes that Berger has been instrumental in developing incentives through NDA and recruiting more members to the organization.

“Berger’s dedication to the association throughout his career is a true testament to his stature as a thought leader in the industry,” says Peter Banks, NDA’s new board president. “With more than 50 years of experience in the demolition industry, Berger understands the ins and outs of our field and has been a valuable member of NDA, embodying our vision and mission on a daily basis.”

Five Environmental Excellence Awards also were presented. These awards recognize companies in the demolition industry that made a significant quality-of-life impact on their community. The intent of the award is to develop and stimulate public awareness of the environmental progress provided by NDA members, recognize leadership and innovation in “green” development and commend citizens and businesses for their efforts in bettering their local and regional environments.

NDA recognized the following:

• Adamo Group Inc. and the city of Detroit and its agencies for the “Detroit Blight Elimination Objective”;
• Minnesota-based companies, Carl Bolander & Sons Co.; Envirobate; J & J Contracting; Mavo Systems; Ramsey County, Minnesota; and Wenck Associates Inc. for the demolition of the Twin Cities army ammunition plant;
• Costello Dismantling Co., West Wareham, Massachusetts; Engelberth Construction, Colchester, Vermont; and Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, for the Dartmouth College West Stands;
• O’Rourke Wrecking Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, for the MidPointe Crossing neighborhood redevelopment/demolition of the former Swifton Commons complex in Cincinnati; and
• Georgia-based companies, Winter Environmental; Atlanta Demolition/SSD; Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Dykon Explosive Demolition; and Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co., for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta - former BellSouth Conference Center demolition.

“Our recipients for this year’s awards and scholarships stood out among the rest, not only for their current dedication to the demolition industry, but their commitment to the field in the future,” says Cheryl Caulfield, NDA executive director, “It is with organizations and individuals like these that NDA and the industry will continue to expand and improve upon itself year after year.”

 

// Legislation & regulations

Study: OSHA underestimated cost of silica rule by $4.5 billion per year

A new report released by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC) has found that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed silica standards for U.S. construction industry will cost the industry $5 billion per year—roughly $4.5 billion per year more than OSHA’s estimates. The coalition cautioned that the flawed cost estimates reflect deeper flaws in the rule and urged the federal agency to reconsider its approach.

OSHA’s proposed rule, intended to drastically reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of crystalline silica for the construction industry, has been underestimated by the agency to cost the construction industry about $511 million a year. The new estimates released by CISC estimate that the costs to the industry will actually be approximately 10 times the OSHA estimate—costing nearly $5 billion a year.

The CISC report estimates that about 80 percent of the cost ($3.9 billion per year) will be direct compliance expenditures by the industry such as additional equipment, labor and record-keeping costs. The remaining 20 percent of the cost ($1.05 billion per year) will come in the form of increased prices the industry will have to pay for: construction materials and building products such as concrete block, glass, roofing shingles and more. The report notes how OSHA failed to take into account these additional costs to the industry that will result from the proposed standard, which will then be passed down to customers in the form of higher prices.

The full CISC report, which also was submitted to OSHA, can be found at the National Association of Home Builders website at www.nahb.org/silicareport.

 

// Association activities

CDRA names new president

C&D recycling industry leaders honored The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), Aurora, Illinois, has honored its 2015 industry award honorees. The 2015 awards were presented at C&D World 2015, the annual meeting of the CDRA, held March 28-31 at the Music City Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Timothy Townsend, Ph.D., the John Edmunds professor of environmental engineering at the University of Florida and Charles Gusmano, co-founder, president and CEO of Southern Waste Systems and Sun Recycling in Davie, Florida, were inducted into the C&D Hall of Fame for 2015.

The C&D Recycling Hall of Fame honors prominent leaders and pioneers in the C&D recycling industry who have made an extraordinary contribution to the industry and who also have earned the respect of the industry, according to the CDRA. In addition, these leaders have made contributions to their community, both personally and professionally, CDRA adds.

E.L. Harvey & Sons, Westborough, Massachusetts, was honored as C&D Recycler of the Year, which is given annually to recognize the individual or company that exemplifies excellence in the C&D recycling industry through advance business operations that increase recycling percentages, novel methods of marketing, innovative practices in employer-employee relations, safety, protecting the environment and developing industry standards, the CDRA explains.

Jason Haus, CEO of Dem-Con Cos., Shakopee, Minnesota, was chosen as the CDRA Member of the Year. This award is given to a member who has shown remarkable service to the mission of the organization and has made enduring contributions to the success of the association, according to the CDRA.

The organization awarded three companies with the CDRA President’s Award for their significant contributions in the C&D recycling industry. The 2015 honorees include Publix Super Markets, Lakeland, Florida; Interior Removal Specialist, South Gate, California; and MBL Recycling, Palatine, Illinois.

 

// C&D materials

Armstrong expands floor recycling program

Armstrong Commercial Flooring, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has expanded its recycling program to include the company’s Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT). The company says the expansion builds on its recycling program for Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT), which has recovered more than 6 million pounds of postconsumer VCT since 2012.

Armstrong says its Armstrong LVT product and qualifying competitors’ LVT products will be recycled into new flooring products at the company’s Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Lancaster manufacturing facilities.

Amy Costello, sustainability manager for Armstrong Commercial Flooring, says, “Our closed-loop recycling program provides an end-of-life alternative, helping to conserve and protect natural resources, while reducing the environmental footprint of our products.

“We continue to build on our recycling efforts,” Costello continues. “By taking responsibility for our products at the end of life, we are able to conserve valuable natural resources and manufacture products with lower environmental footprints. It is a win-win for everyone.”

More information is available at www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/floor-recycling-program.html.

 

// Association activities

CDRA names new president

Kevin Herb, founder and CEO of Broad Run Recycling in Manassas, Virginia, has been named president of the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), based in Aurora, Illinois.

The announcement was made during the CDRA’s annual membership meeting, which took place during the 2015 C&D World Exhibition & Conference, March 28-31 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

As part of the proceedings, the leadership of the organization was passed from Valerie Montecalvo, president of the Bayshore Family of Cos., in Keasbey, New Jersey, to Herb.

The CDRA represents about 300 companies nationwide that specialize in the recycling of C&D debris from residential, commercial, institutional and industrial road base and building projects. Under Montecalvo’s leadership as president, the association:

• completely rebranded itself;
• assembled a database of how C&D processing is regulated in all 50 states;
• developed a first strategic plan to guide operations; and
• conducted advocacy related to numerous federal, state and local rule proposals that could affect the thriving nature of C&D recycling.

“I have had the honor and distinct pleasure of serving as president of the CDRA over the past two years,” said Montecalvo. “Our industry is critical to the economy of the United States and to the advancement of national, state and local goals for sound materials management and sustainability. The future of our organization is very bright and our contributions to the national economy and environment unsurpassed in the recycling field.”

Bayshore Recycling operates seven different recycling businesses, which are located on a 55-acre site in Keasbey, New Jersey. Services include: recycling of concrete, asphalt, brick, block and glass cullet into aggregate materials; remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils; materials recovery of mixed construction and demolition (C&D) debris into secondary products such as landscaping mulch and biofuel; full-service metal recycling; recycling of consumer electronics such as TVs and computers; and acceptance of dredge material via barge.

Montecalvo passed the gavel of leadership to Herb during the CDRA annual membership meeting March 30.

Started in 2008 by Herb, Broad Run Recycling has the capability of recycling 95 percent of the material it takes in, according to the company. Broad Run processes more than 600 tons of C&D debris per day in its 26,000-square-foot facility. Materials the company takes in include wood, metals, aggregate, wood-derived fuel, rigid plastics and cardboard. Residual waste is used as an alternative energy source to create electricity.

Broad Run is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) National Capital Region chapter and, according to the company, is the only facility in the District of Columbia metro area that has been certified by the Recycling Certification Institute (RCI), Sacramento, California. Broad Run, which also was the first C&D recycling facility to be certified by RCI, says it is helping to lead a national effort to create a certification and standard for the amount of waste that companies are required to recycle.

 

// Demolition projects

Demo and renovation analysis wins engineering award

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) has honored several firms for engineering and surveying excellence. The awards were part of the organization’s 50th annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards ceremony.

The ACEC/M Awards Program, which occurred in late February in Dearborn, Michigan, recognizes “outstanding efforts of professional design firms to solve clients’ needs through exceptional projects, and offers the opportunity to showcase the year’s best engineering and surveying achievements,” according to the organization.

The awards program presented this year’s engineering Eminent Conceptor Award to NTH Consultants Ltd., based in Detroit, for the structural analysis of Cobo Arena prior to its demolition and reconstruction.

During the $279 million redevelopment of Cobo Arena, NTH Consultants retained the shell-like geometry of the original structure while performing detailed analyses for each stage of demolition and reconstruction.

The firm coordinated with contractors to safely sequence the work. By using this methodology, the need for an estimated $1 million in internal temporary bracing was eliminated.

Four other project honorees were Bergmann Associates for the Rapid/Amtrak Passenger Station relocation project in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award was presented to Fleis & VandenBrink for the Osceola Inn demolition project that took place in Reed City, Michigan.

ACEC/M consists of nearly 100 firms from throughout the state that are engaged in engineering, architectural and surveying work.

// Wood/biomass

Large-scale waste gasification system planned for Tennessee

The city of Lebanon, Tennessee, and Nashville, Tennessee-based PHG Energy have signed a contract for a downdraft gasification plant designed to cleanly convert up to 64 tons per day of blended waste wood, scrap tires and sewer sludge into a fuel gas that will generate up to 300 kilowatts of electricity.

The generation of this power will provide for the plant’s internal power needs as well as contribute electricity to the wastewater treatment plant where it will be located, PHG says.

Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead says the remaining 5 percent to 10 percent of material exiting the gasifier is a high-carbon biochar that can be recycled or sold for agricultural or industrial uses.

PHG President Tom Stanzione said the Lebanon project will deploy what his company believes is the world’s largest downdraft gasifier. “This is the same basic technology we utilized in all our previous designs, and we have upgraded capacity and power density to accomplish a lot more gasification in what is not a lot more space,” says. Stanzione.

The plant is projected to keep more than 8,000 tons of material out of landfills each year and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 2,500 tons each year.

Funding of the $3.5 million capital cost has been obtained through a federal program that awards bond subsidies to local projects that conserve energy. The Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds are allocated through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and repay communities 70 percent of interest expense.

Craighead says the city is viewing this installation as a first stage in a larger plan to convert the city’s household and commercial garbage into energy in the future. “We see keeping our garbage out of the landfill and using it to make energy as major goals for Lebanon in coming years,” says Craighead.

He continues, “This is a problem that is coming straight at all of us, and we are going to make sure our city is ready with answers. One of our primary criteria is that the solutions we want will have to make good financial sense along the way.”

PHG has installed 13 commercial gasifiers in both industrial and municipal settings. Its first municipal installation was commissioned in Covington, Tennessee, in 2013.

The Lebanon gasification project is expected to be completed in early 2016.

 

// Demolition funding

Ohio grant program helps remove 14,600 blighted structures

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has issued a report detailing the success of the Moving Ohio Forward Demolition Grant program. The report shows that the Ohio attorney general’s program, which concluded at the end of last year, helped remove more than 14,000 abandoned and blighted housing units in the state.

The program dedicated $75 million of Ohio’s share of the settlement funds to demolish abandoned and blighted structures across the state. Each of Ohio’s 88 counties received a proportional allocation of the funds based upon the number of foreclosures in each county between 2008 and 2011. To maximize the reach of the program, counties were required to provide matching funds for any grant amount beyond the first $500,000. The program, which concluded Dec. 31, 2014, resulted in the demolition of more than 14,600 blighted housing units at an average cost of $8,148.75 per demolition. The program dedicated more than $119 million toward blighted demolition through both the program grants and matching funds.