2022 CLF Boston/New England Reuse Roadmap - Manual / Resource - Page 14
Deconstruction and
Material Reuse Roadmap
unions to understand the impacts of jurisdiction and
crew requirements. As demolition subcontractors
begin to understand the nuances and changes in
practice to move towards deconstruction and material
salvage, current practices of risk-averse overbidding
can normalize as operational ignorance is dispelled.
A common misconception is that deconstruction and
reuse equates to replacing all demolition activities
immediately. While this may be the eventual goal,
starting the process with enhanced waste diversion
and working towards deconstruction of reusable
assemblies is the perfect first step. Contractors and
their subcontractors need to walk before they can run.
By highlighting success stories with robust data
to prove a return on investment, contractors will
begin to become experts on material reuse and
deconstruction to gain an edge on their competition
and realign business practices to keep bid costs low.
As greater importance is placed on these changing
practices, partnering with building material reuse
vendors will become critical in understanding how to
move items from demo sites to resale or reuse centers
efficiently. Contractors are known for creative building
solutions, and will do all they can to fulfill the client’s
needs. As clients with corporate ESG requirements
continue to skyrocket, builders will need to adapt
and innovate to match the changing landscape.
Policy-Makers
Deconstruction and reuse policy in the Boston,
Massachusetts region is in its infancy. As the area begins
to more broadly integrate embodied and operational
carbon considerations into legislative policy, it is expected
that building and material reuse policies will not be far
behind.
As of Spring 2022, Boston is in the midst of
piloting a deconstruction initiative in collaboration
with their zero waste goals. Additionally, state
bodies like the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection have been incrementally
improving policy around C&D waste, but do not
have defined reuse or deconstruction standards.
Some local municipalities and government entities,
such as the city of Cambridge and Somerville,
require GBRS such as LEED for new construction
and major renovations. These GPBRs can
promote deconstruction and reuse by increasing
the required waste diversion percentages to
which a construction project must abide.
Simply put, if there was a mandate that all buildings
must be deconstructed and all materials reused and
salvaged without carefully planned industry incubation
and development, the industry would never hold its
own weight. However, without a defined policy stating
that reuse must be considered, many projects will
instead attempt to dispose of or recycle a majority
of C&D materials, rather than considering reuse
vendors or manufacturer take-back programs.
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What do we need to be doing?
Mimicking other successful programs around the
United States, the Boston and Massachusetts
regional policies need to incorporate incentives
and education to help grow the fledgling
reuse and deconstruction industries.
Proper Incentivization: many West coast cities
(such as Seattle WA and Portland OR) have
successfully worked with contractors and owners
to reduce permit times or provide financial grants
for projects that move away from demolition
and promote deconstruction. By reducing the
time it takes to be granted a permit, schedule
savvy owners will look into how they can most
effectively move their projects forward.
Targeting infrastructure:
By requiring waste diversion reporting, as seen in
Nashville TN, construction projects build up internal
and external reporting rates. A requirement to
disclose the end-state facility, along with waste
diversion percentage, will spur projects to bolster
their own methods and infrastructure and help
familiarize project teams with better waste practices.
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