HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

CONSTRUCTION SITE RECYCLING

SUMMARY

A materials recovery program was included as a part of the Habitat for Humanity 20th anniversary Blitz Build in Americus, Georgia. The Blitz Build constructed 20 houses in one week and diverted 24.2 tons of material, or 84 percent (by weight) of the waste generated.

PROGRAM COORDINATION

The materials recovery program was developed in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center with funding provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Urban and Economic Development Department.

A project team consisting of three people was assembled to coordinate the materials recovery efforts. There was one member each from Habitat for Humanity International Department of Environment (HFHI DOE), the Sumter County Habitat for Humanity Affiliate (Affiliate), and the NAHB Research Center.

Each construction site designated at least one person, the Site Contact, to be responsible for monitoring the separation of materials at their site, acting as the site recycling coordinator liaison, and assisting with material handling when necessary. A core group of three people worked full-time on the Collection Crew and were responsible for setting up material collection areas, collecting the separated materials from each site, and hauling materials to the appropriate market.

The Collection Crew used a site map showing pick-up routes for recovered materials, a list of waste materials generated on site, and Affiliate storage space for materials that needed to be stored during or after the construction. Coordination of the construction schedule with the material pick-up schedule; coordination of recyclable material pick-ups with solid waste pick-ups; and determination of the types of containers, the number of pick-ups for each material, and the amount of human resources needed were major aspects of the program's development.

Prior to the Blitz Build, two Affiliate construction sites were monitored for waste material type and quantity. Data was compiled from the monitoring along with NAHB empirical data to estimate the quantity of waste expected during the Blitz Build.

The NAHB Research Center networked on the national level for material markets while the HFHI DOE and the Affiliate networked locally and made final contacts and negotiations with the markets. Quantity of waste expected, containment and preparation requirements of the selected market, location/distance to the market, and end use of the product were considered when making final marketing decisions. In addition, the NAHB Research Center spearheaded the effort to secure a permit from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to site apply pulverized sheet rock as a pre-sod soil amendment.

Materials recovery and handling requirements during construction were dependent upon many factors such as estimated volumes of material, methods of loading and unloading, vehicle availability, outlet requirements, and types of containers available. The recyclables were handled as follows:

• wood and cardboard - piled loosely on the ground;
• wallboard - stacked on pallets and/or scrap wood;
• metals and vinyl siding - contained in 30 gallon bins or garbage cans;
• carpet padding - piled on the ground or contained in cardboard boxes.

A detailed pick-up schedule was developed for each day, including the time and type of material to be removed. Throughout the week, logs were kept of material pick-ups and deliveries. The logs allowed the Collection Crew to monitor the servicing status of each site and determine whether another bin or pick-up was needed. The delivery log was used to keep track of volume estimates, as well as time needed to complete a route, transport materials, and off-load.

RESULTS

The Blitz Build diverted 84 percent (by weight) of the waste materials generated. Materials diverted included scrap wood, drywall, cardboard, scrap metal, vinyl siding, and carpet padding totaling 24.2 tons (Table 1).

Table 1: Materials Generated and Diverted