2022 CLF Boston/New England Reuse Roadmap - Manual / Resource - Page 5
Deconstruction and
Material Reuse Roadmap
Executive Summary
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction
(AEC) industry is one of the most wasteful
and carbon-intensive in the world. One of the
emerging best practices to tackle this growing
issue, deconstruction and building/material reuse,
has yet to truly take hold in much of New England.
The sector needs innovation and commitment to
align with the climate and environmental goals set
by local governments.
The AEC industry is plagued with both real and
perceived barriers to deconstruction and reuse,
such as cost and schedule inflation, limited reuse
infrastructure, a lack of robust field education, and
gaps in solidified policy. These barriers, combined
with the industry’s “business as usual” attitude,
have led to our highly progressive region failing to
reach the cutting edge on which it so often prides
itself.
Thankfully, implementing deconstruction and
reuse policies and practices in the greater Boston
AEC industry can occur swiftly. By adopting
several best-in-class practices pioneered across
other regions of the United States, designers,
contractors, owners, and policy-makers can help
propel this transition.
Through small changes implemented over time,
along with the adoption of deconstruction and
reuse policy, the Boston-led New England region
can reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Through the steps listed in this roadmap, a better
future for the region is possible.
Designers:
• Design with reuse in mind, taking away the
burdens of buying new and the associated
carbon impacts.
• Revamp specifications and drawings to promote
circularity and building/material reuse
• Partner with contractors, manufacturers,
owners, and reuse vendors to eliminate waste
from the demolition process
Contractors:
• Implement better onsite waste diversion policies
through collaboration and adoption of emerging
best practice
• Develop training and provide a guiding hand for
workers and subcontractors to replace outdated
demolition practices.
• Embrace technological innovation and datadriven solutions to eliminate common green
building misconceptions
Owners:
• Collaborate with designers to understand
standard items that can be reused
• Allocate space typically used for attic stock to
allow for storage of reusable materials
• Implement deconstruction and reuse as a method
of reducing embodied carbon, and achieving
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
goals
Policy Makers:
• Incentivize deconstruction and reuse through
financial grants and permitting timelines
• Mimic successful deconstruction ordinances and
legislation found on the West coast
Introduction
The construction industry has a waste problem, and
Boston is no exception. In 2018, the US generated
600 million tons of construction and demolition (C&D)
waste - more than twice the amount of generated
municipal solid waste.
This waste has environmental, social, and publichealth impacts. As local Massachusetts landfills reach
capacity, our waste has to be shipped across the
country for other states and municipalities to manage.
It can be difficult to put the vast amount of waste
into perspective so here are two helpful statistics:
• One year of demolition waste from homes
in the US is enough to build a wall 30
feet tall and 30 feet wide around the
entire border of the continental USA.
• Demolition of one US home creates approximately
60 tons of waste, which is equivalent to
one individual’s lifetime worth of waste.
Disposing of C&D products that could be reused
means we must pay for the remanufacturing
of those materials, in cost and carbon.
Adaptive reuse of buildings and salvaging of
materials are achievable methods of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions right now.
The solution to addressing our collective waste
problem is through the development of a robust
material reuse ecosystem. Through reuse, Boston can
reduce its environmental and carbon footprint, create
jobs, decrease overall project expenses, promote
social equity and contribute to the larger goals of
Boston’s Zero Waste and Climate Action Plans.
The EPA has identified the following benefits
of sustainable C&D waste management:
• Creates employment and economic
activities in recycling industries and
provides increased business opportunities
in the local community, especially when
deconstruction and selective demolition
methods are used. EPA’s 2016 Recycling
Economic Information (REI) Report
showed that in 2012 the recycling of
C&D materials created 175,000 jobs.
• Reduces purchase and disposal costs
and transportation costs.
• Increases tax benefits through
donating recovered materials to
qualified 501(c)(3) charities.
• Minimizes the need for disposal
facilities, reducing associated emissions
from the transport, sorting, and
disposal of landfill-bound waste.
• Offsets the environmental impact
associated with the extraction and
consumption of virgin resources and
the production of new materials.
• Conserves landfill space.
• Correlate reuse policy with climate action,
historic preservation, and social equity goals
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