Residential Construction Waste Management Demonstration and ...

Kent County Michigan
Kent County, Michigan, is located in southwest Michigan approximately 45 miles east of Lake
Michigan and 120 miles west of Detroit. The county encompasses the city of Grand Rapids.
Single-family new home construction has been steady and strong and is dominated by small,
custom builders. Only one or two builders construct more than 100 new homes a year.
Construction waste tipping fees are approximately $32 per ton, with the cost of containment,
hauling, and disposal for a typical home averaging approximately $250. Builder interest in
construction waste management was high despite the relatively moderate disposal costs.
Michigan offers a grant and loan program that makes funds available to assist in the development
of recycling systems, including C&D waste.
Jobsite burial of construction waste is illegal in Kent County. New solid waste regulations,
which were scheduled to take effect in October, 1994, require C&D landfills to be lined and
mandate better documentation of ground water monitoring. These changes could have an impact
on builders’ future disposal costs.
Firms in the Grand Rapids area recover wood, metal, concrete, drywall, asphalt, vinyl siding,
cardboard, and surplus building materials. Some of the waste management companies that haul
and or process recovered construction waste materials are strong growth companies that have
been in business for more than five years.
The Greater Grand Rapids Home Builders Association (GrGRHBA) has been a national leader
in construction waste management efforts. The HBA staffs a construction jobsite recycling
committee, maintains a directory of companies that recycle construction waste materials and plans
to build a home featuring recycled-content building materials during the 1995 construction
season.
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) recycling staff has worked closely with
the HBA on the jobsite recycling committee and has established an organization called the
Business and Industry Team for the Environment (BITE) to assist business and industry in
effectively managing waste streams. Staff members at the Kent County DPW have strong and
open channels of communication with both builders and related businesses in the greater Grand
Rapids area.
Portland, Oregon
The Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area has approximately 1.5 million residents. Single-family
new construction is dominated by small, custom builders, with few builders completing more than
100 new homes a year.
Builder interest in construction waste management is strong due, in part, to the conservation ethic
of the community and relatively high construction waste tipping fees. Since 1987, tipping fees
have risen from $17 per ton to $75 per ton as part of a five-year program designed to help reach
state recycling goals. The revenue generated from the increased fee has covered the costs