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CDDPath: A method for quantifying the loss and recovery of construction and demolition debris in the United States
Citation:
Townsend, T., W. Ingwersen, B. Niblick, P. Jain, AND J. Wally. CDDPath: A method for quantifying the loss and recovery of construction and demolition debris in the United States. WASTE MANAGEMENT. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 84:302-309, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.11.048
Impact/Purpose:
The EPA's Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) publishes annual estimates by material type of the mass of construction and demolition debris (CDD) generated in the United States. However, national estimates of the fate (e.g. incineration for energy recovery, CDD landfill, etc.) of these materials are not available. Fate estimates can be important for understanding the potential environmental consequences of changes to the disposition of these materials, as well as for identifying opportunities for material recovery. This peer-reviewed journal article provides a methodology for estimating final disposition of CDD materials. The methodology is being considered for use in EPA's next "Facts and Figures" report for Sustainable Materials Management.
Description:
National generation estimates for seven material types in the construction and demolition debris stream are regularly published in the United States. However, the quantities of these materials in different endof- life management pathways are not published or otherwise made available. Quantification of end-oflife management pathways is useful for identifying approaches to decrease disposal and increase material recovery. An issue for construction and demolition debris is that data needed for a nationwide estimate of management pathways are not tracked in a single system. We propose and outline a method that draws on a combination of data sources, including nationwide generation estimates, state data, industry association data, and recovery facility reports. Capturing the available data and using the proposed method, we can estimate what end-of-life pathways are used for the seven materials in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s annual reports of CDD generation (steel, wood products, drywall and plaster, brick and clay tile, asphalt shingles, concrete and asphalt concrete), and five additional materials managed within the CDD waste stream (carpet, plastic, glass, cardboard and organics). Method results indicate that the vast majority of CDD concrete and asphalt pavement, which in 2014 constituted ?78% of the overall mass of the stream’s components, were reclaimed for use, primarily in road projects. A significant opportunity for material recovery still exists for the remaining ?22% of the stream. In 2014, approximately 64% of these remaining materials in the US was ultimately routed for landfill disposal.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: CDDPath: A method for quantifying the loss and recovery of construction and demolition debris in the United States
Free access through PubMed Central