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Publications
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Estimating 2003 Building-Related Construction and Demolition Materials Amounts (PDF) (60 pp, 722K)
EPA530-R-09-002; March 2009
Provides information about the quantity of building-related C&#$38;D materials.
Characterization of Building-Related Construction and Demolition Debris in the United States (PDF) (94 pp, 1.0MB)
EPA 530-R-98-010; June 1998
Provides information about the quantity and composition of building-related C&D debris.
Industrial Materials Recycling: Managing Resources for Tomorrow | PDF Version (2 pp, 1.4MB)
Fact sheet addressing the importance of recycling industrial materials, including construction and demolition debris.
BioCycle 
magazine occasionally includes publications on C&D materials:
- Analyzing What’s Recyclable in C&D Debris , Ken Sandler, Nov. 2003, Vol. 44, Iss. 11; pg. 51.
- Tracking C&D Debris from the Building Industry , Aug. 1998, Vol. 39, Iss. 8; pg. 10.
Building Deconstruction Consortium (BDC) resources include:
- The AFCEE Pocket Guide to Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste Management (PDF) (42 pp, 246K)
Prepared by 3D/International for HQ Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence, this guide focuses on tracking and diverting the C&D Debris portion of the total solid waste stream. - Design for Deconstruction and Materials Reuse (PDF) (21 pp, 72K)
Discusses the Design for Deconstruction (DfD) concept that borrows from the fields of design for disassembly, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling in the consumer products industries. The DfD overall goal is to increase resource and economic efficiency and reduce pollution impacts in the adaptation and eventual removal of buildings, and to recover components and materials for reuse, re-manufacturing and recycling.
CIWMB’s Deconstruction Training Manual; Waste Management Reuse & Recycling at MatherField (PDF) (46 pp, 1.8MB)
Recycling Construction Materials: An Important Part of the Construction Process; Kimberly Cochran, Ph.D and Nicole Villamizar in Construction Business Owner, June 2007.
Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings (PDF) (134 pp, 3.2MB)
This is a report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force, a group of more than 40 California state government agencies. Completed in October 2003, this study demonstrates that sustainable building is a cost-effective investment, and shows that it makes a good financial sense for communities across the country to “build green.”
Deconstruction: Building Disassembly and Material Salvage (PDF) (2 pp, 1.2MB)
Produced by NAHB Research Center, this brochure provides an overview of the economic and environmental benefits of deconstruction.
Deconstruction Guide for Military Installations
Deconstruction Institute’s A Guide to Deconstruction (PDF) (93 pp, 2.3MB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Clay Brick Reuse and Concrete Recycling (PDF) (21 pp, 775K)
Institute for Local Self-reliance (ILSR) , a nonprofit organization, offers titles on reuse, recycling, solid waste management, and recycling-based economic development from ILSR’s Waste to Wealth Program including:
- Building Savings: Strategies for Waste Reduction of Construction and Demolition Debris from Buildings (PDF) (20 pp, 913K)
EPA530-F-00-001; June 2000
This document profiles communities that are “record-setters” in C&D materials reduction and recovery. The publication was produced by ILSR with funding from EPA.
On-Site Grinding of Residential Construction Debris: The Indiana Grinder Pilot (PDF) (55 pp, 1.5MB)
Prepared by NAHB Research Center, this 1999 report documents a pilot project conducted to determine the feasibility of onsite grinding of clean wood, drywall, and cardboard waste from new residential construction as an alternative to conventional landfilling. The report includes information on how to identify and assess the major technological, economic, and environmental factors associated with the grinding technique.
Planning for Natural Disaster Debris (PDF) (94 pp, 1.9MB) | Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 73K)
This document is an update of Planning for Disaster Debris published by EPA in 1995 (EPA530-K-95-010). It’s designed for local communities (including cities, counties, tribes, etc.) who are encouraged to create disaster debris management plans. Includes information on:
- Recommended components of a disaster debris management plan.
- Management options for various debris streams that might be found after a natural disaster.
- A collection of case studies that highlights how several communities prepared for and managed debris generated by recent natural disasters.
- Federal, state, and local resources to consult in planning for natural disasters.
RCRA in Focus: Construction, Demolition, and Renovation (PDF) (24 pp, 1.4MB)
This report includes a chapter on C&D debris (p. 3) and on special issues in C&D debris (p. 7).
Residential C&D Waste Guide Information Links
Tribal Waste Journal: Construction and Demolition Materials: Concrete Reasons to Manage Them Now (PDF) (24 pp, 748K)
The ABCs of C&D Debris: Tribal Construction and Demolition Debris Management Training Course
This training guide, developed by EPA and the Tribal Association for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, presents information, ideas, and lessons on how to manage C&D debris on tribal lands. It includes sections tribal specific issues, planning and funding, waste reduction, recycling, landfill disposal, waste screening, and safety.
Waste Management and Recovery—A Field Guide for Residential Remodelers:
- Introduction (PDF) (4 pp, 5.5MB)
- Remodeler’s Field Guide (PDF) (20 pp, 6MB). This guide, prepared by NAHB Research Center, provides remodelers with information on cost-effective and voluntary construction waste management. The guide addresses the unique aspects of remodeling, including differences in waste generation and site and work characteristics.
WasteWise Update: Building for the Future (PDF) (16 pp, 2.2MB)
Covers reduction, reuse, and recycling of C&D materials, and the use of recycled, reused, and otherwise “resource-efficient” building products.
Selection of Methods for the Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling of Demolition Waste (PDF) (102 pp, 1.1MB)
Developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Unified Facilities Criteria, #UFC-1-1900-01, December 2002), this document provides guidance for recovery and recycling of building demolition waste and assists users in determining the most feasible methods for reducing C&D materials being disposed of in landfills.
US Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory produces reports on C&D materials at Army installations:
- Characterizing Demolition Debris for Diversion Opportunities: WWI Era and Korean War-Era Buildings (PDF) (57 pp, 4.9MB)
This Public Work Technical Bulletin (PWTB) 200-1-40, dated 31 July 2006, provides guidance based on experiences of recovering, reusing, and recycling building materials typically disposed of as demolition waste on Army installations. It will assist in implementing practices to reduce the amount of demolition debris generated by the removal of surplus buildings. - Deconstruction of WWII Era Wood Framed Buildings (PDF) (59 pp, 1.8MB)
This Public Work Technical Bulletin (PWTB) 200-1-45, dated 1 February 2007, provides case studies and lessons learned on the deconstruction of excess or surplus buildings at seven Army installations.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) produced two reports on deconstruction:
- A Guide to Deconstruction
Provides an overview of deconstruction with a focus on community development opportunities. The guide describes project profiles and case studies that show the components of deconstruction and its benefits and present ways to make it part of a community revitalization strategy. - A Report on the Feasibility of Deconstruction
Provides a brief analysis of the feasibility of deconstruction. This report is based on a study of four urban communities and lessons from other local deconstruction initiatives.
