The Recycling Plus Program Manual and accompanying materials were first distributed in January 1996.  They  are public documents and are intended to be photocopied.  They cannot be copyrighted by any public or private organization.

Recycling Plus Program materials are distributed by the Clean Washington Center (CWC), a division of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER).  Contact the CWC, at 2200 Alaskan Way, Suite 460 Seattle, WA 98121; (206) 443-7746;
fax: (206) 443-7703.

Management Guide
Developed for the
Construction Industry

Section 1:     Introduction

                        The Recycling Plus Program: What is it and Why Use it for your Company?...... 1-1

                        Tools of the Program......................................................................... 1-2

                        Keys to Success.............................................................................. 1-3

                        A Note About Hazardous Waste........................................................ 1-5

Section 2:     Management’s Role in the Recycling Plus Program

                        Working with Clients......................................................................... 2-1

                        Table 1: Recycling Plus Design and Specification Action Items............. 2-2

                        Choosing Recycling Services............................................................. 2-2

                        Table 2: Sample Provisions for a Full-Service Recycling Agreement...... 2-3

                        Setting Up Subcontractor Agreements................................................ 2-5

                        Table 3: Sample Language for Subcontractor Agreement...................... 2-6

                        Working with Suppliers..................................................................... 2-6

                        Table 4: Recycling Plus Action Recommendations for Suppliers........... 2-7

                        Supporting Field Personnel................................................................ 2-7

Section 3:     Appendices

                        Fletcher Wright Case Study.................................................. Appendix A

                        Case Study Form................................................................. Appendix B

                        Auditing and Other Program Assistance Services.................... Appendix C

                        Directories and Guides List................................................... Appendix D

                        List of CDL Recycling Coordinators........................................ Appendix E

                        Washington State Department of Ecology Contact Information.. Appendix F

                        Tips for Specifying Recycled-Content Building Materials ......... Appendix G

                        Construction Materials with Recycled Content........................ Appendix H

                        Clip Art................................................................................. Appendix I

The Recycling Plus Program:

What is it and Why Use it for Your Company?

The Recycling Plus Program was developed to provide construction companies with a model program for reducing construction waste on your job sites through using the “three R’s” – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  The intent was to create a user-friendly program emphasizing cost-effective methods to minimize waste on the job site and to make sure most of the “waste” that does occur gets recycled.  Modeled after successful job-site safety programs, the program includes a manual and visual aids for training field personnel.  Program materials can be customized by incorporating your company name with the Recycling Plus Program logo.

The program was developed by Fletcher Wright with environmental construction consultants O’Brien & Company and Sound Resource Management Group, and field-tested by Fletcher Wright site personnel and subcontractors.  Fletcher Wright found that by applying the principles of the Recycling Plus Program, they were able to significantly increase the company’s level of job-site recycling while reducing the amount of money they paid out in waste disposal fees.  In a large commercial project on a corporate campus, for example, they were able to reduce waste management costs through recycling and waste reduction efforts by 30%.  Smaller commercial and residential projects have also benefited from similar reductions in disposal costs.  In addition, with more and more clients showing interest in environmentally-friendly construction practices, these efforts have the added benefit of providing a positive marketing edge in very competitive markets.

Incorporating the principles of the Recycling Plus Program in your company’s job-site protocol can improve your bottom line and marketing potential while benefiting the environment.  It’s a win-win situation.

Tools of the Program

Several Recycling Plus Program tools have been developed, including those intended for use by company management, others for field personnel, and some designed for subcontractors.  Some of the tools developed for the program may suit your company, some may not.  Take what works for you, and leave the rest.  You needn’t use every method provided in the manual to get good results.

n          The Recycling Plus Program title and logo can be customized with your company name.  Camera-ready art is provided for this purpose in Appendix I of the Management Guide.

n          Recycling Plus Management Guide: This manual is written for management personnel to provide assistance in setting the program up in your company.

n          Recycling Plus Field Guide:  This is a straight-forward flexible guide for field personnel providing tips on how to customize, set up, maintain, and evaluate results of a Job-Site Action Plan incorporating Recycling Plus Program principles.  A copy of the Field Guide should be provided to project managers or field personnel responsible for implementing the Recycling Plus Program on the
job site.

The Field Guide includes field-tested forms and information sheets your field personnel can use when implementing the Recycling Plus Program on the job site.  Step-by-step instructions accompany original forms that can be photocopied for each job.

n          Recycling Plus Program Subcontractor Kit:  The Subcontractor Kit is made up of several elements, some provided by corporate management level, and some by field personnel.  A sample Subcontractor Kit is outlined in the final section of the Manual.  The Subcontractor Kit outline and tip sheets should be provided along with the Field Guide  to Project Managers or other field personnel responsible for implementing and coordinating the Recycling Plus Program on the job site.

n          Recycling Plus Program Visual Aids:  Several visual aids that can be used by field personnel to communicate the program and motivate personnel have been developed as part of the program.  They appear in relevant sections of the
Field Guide (corresponding logos are available as EPS files on disk).

n          Recycling Plus Program Forms Package:  A separate package of forms found in the Program Manual including original hard copies and a disk copy of a cost/materials tracking form is also provided.

You may elect to build your company’s program over time, limiting your efforts by perhaps targeting only one or two materials for recycling at first -- and adding materials as you gain experience with the program.  The Recycling Plus Program is designed so you can incorporate its tools incrementally.  In addition, although the Program Manual is organized with separate guides for management and field personnel, the program is easily adapted to smaller companies, where management and field personnel often overlap.  The principles of the program can work for any construction company -- no matter what the size.

Keys to Success

There are several keys to making the Recycling Plus Program work for you on your company's job sites, including:

n          A clear starting point.  Evaluating the wastes your company generally creates as you construct or renovate a building provides you with a starting point to help you set up a program that works for you.  Two methods field personnel can use to conduct job-site audits are provided in the Evaluation Tools Section of the Field Guide.  Information on hiring consultants who provide audit services is provided in Section 3 of the Management Guide in Appendix C.

n          Job-specific planning.  Each construction project and job site presents a different set of circumstances.  A Job-Site Action Plan including proposed actions to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle on the job site should be formulated at the startup of each project.  Details for setting up a plan are included in the Planning Tools Section of the Field Guide.

n          Good understanding of available options and limiting factors.  Research is a first step in setting up an effective Job-Site Action Plan.  It will help identify available collection, sorting, and recycling services, and variables about a specific project that could limit or constrain job-site recovery efforts.  Research tips are provided in the Planning Tools Section of the Field Guide.

n          Focus on high potential materials and practices.  Apply the 80-20 rule. Don’t try to recycle everything.  Identify materials that are collected in your project area and then choose to recycle those materials that you generate the most volume of, that have the most market value, and that can be separated most easily.

n          Committed key field personnel.  If the program is to be effective, key field personnel (including major subcontractors and suppliers) should know and be committed to the project’s goals. This requires the involvement of both management and field personnel and should be done at the  startup of a project, or when new subcontractors, suppliers, or other field personnel become introduced to the project.  In addition, field personnel should be made aware of how their efforts are paying off, both during the project and at project completion.  Details for accomplishing this can be found in the Communication Tools Section of the Field Guide.

n          Convenience.  Make sure using the three R’s -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle -- is as convenient and efficient as traditional methods of waste management.  Simple measures, such as correct placement and clear labeling of recycling bins, can make or break a waste reduction program.  The Recycling Plus Program provides tips and visual aids to make recycling and waste reduction convenient in the Communication Tools Section of the Field Guide.

n          Make it worth it.  Award programs and other incentives, both the “carrot” and “stick” variety, motivate field personnel.  Whether you devise company-wide incentives or allow your Project Manager or field personnel to do so, the Field Guide provides ideas in the Motivation Tools Section.

n          Apply lessons learned. As part of the Recycling Plus Program, field personnel are encouraged to complete a Final Job-Site Evaluation Form after each project.  The form is found in the Evaluation Tools Section of the Field Guide.  This will help your company identify opportunities to improve the program by customizing it to your needs.

A Note About Hazardous Waste

Because the handling, storing and disposal of hazardous waste is governed by specific regulations, The Recycling Plus Program materials do not address best management practices relating to hazardous waste.  Efforts to reduce hazardous waste, however, should be coordinated with overall efforts to reduce waste on the job site.  For information on methods to reduce hazardous substance use and hazardous waste generation, contact the Washington State Department of Ecology office in your region.  Regional contact information can be found in Appendix F of the Management Guide.  Regulatory guidance is provided in a new publication (available Spring, 1996) entitled: “Environmental Handbook for Washington Construction Contractors -- Regulatory Guidance.”  Call Ecology’s Permit Assistance Center at 360-407-7037 to get your copy.

Your Role in the Recycling Plus Program

There are several areas where management plays a significant role in the Recycling Plus Program, including:

n          Working with Existing (and Future) Clients

n          Choosing Recycling Services

n          Setting up Subcontractor Agreements

n          Working with Suppliers

n          Supporting Field Personnel

Working with Clients

1.   Market the Concept.  As part of your project procurement efforts you can inform potential clients of the Recycling Plus Program with a commitment to use it as part of your job.  For marketing to future clients, publicity, such as site signage, advertising, and press releases can include information about the company’s commitment to recycling and waste reduction.

2.   Identify Waste Reduction Opportunities in Design and Specifications.  If you are in a partnering relationship with the client and/or design team, you can have a significant role in reducing waste before it even happens.  See Table 1 for some ideas about how waste can be reduced by actions taken in the design or specification phase.  (Note that field personnel have the same opportunities when purchases or substitutions are made from the field.  You should encourage field personnel to take advantage of these.)

Choosing Recycling Services

Choosing recycling services for a project is sometimes the responsibility of management, sometimes the responsibility of field personnel. There are four options: hiring a full-service recycling contractor; using a garbage hauler who provides recycling services; operating an in-house recycling program; or making your subcontractors responsible for recycling their own materials.

1.  Hire a Full-Service Recycling Contractor.  Many or all source-separation and collection tasks are subcontracted to a recycling contractor.  Full-service recycling contractors are beginning to enter the construction industry.  These contractors can provide training and on-site sorting services.  As you would any supplier, solicit the best service and best fees (or prices) for materials you are targeting for recycling.  Sample provisions for a full-service agreement are provided in Table 2.

2.   Use a Garbage Hauler’s Recycling Services.  You use the recycling services offered by your garbage hauler.  These services may be limited.  For example, if materials are mis-sorted, the garbage hauler will generally not provide re-sorting services or training to avoid future mis-sorting.  This may result in higher costs if the mis-sorted materials are treated as garbage.  You’ll want to make sure you have a good in-house training program in place.   (Or negotiate more complete services with your garbage hauler.)  Make sure your Recycling Plus goals are reflected in any agreement you make with the garbage hauler.

      Please note that although you may be restricted as to the hauler you use for garbage, current Washington State regulations allow you to use any service vendor you wish to handle your recycled materials.  Thus, if your garbage hauler does not provide recycling services, you are free to hire other haulers or businesses who will provide these services.

3.   Operate an In-House Recycling Program.  Your Project Managers or field personnel would be responsible for monitoring source-separation, collection, and ordering drop-off or pick-up.   In this scenario, you would be working with individual recyclers to recycle one or more materials.  You may also negotiate some recycling services with your garbage hauler.  (See item 2, above.)

4.   Make Subs Responsible.  You can hold your subcontractors completely responsible for setting up their own recycling and waste reduction programs (including source separating materials, maintaining bins, arranging drop off or pickup).  Although general contractors have often used this method,
demonstration projects reveal the results from using this method can be mixed.  Success of job-site recovery and waste reduction will depend on the individual subcontractor’s commitment to the program and familiarity with recycling and waste reduction practices. This method also makes little use of the benefits of a company- or project-wide program, such as efficient leveraging of time, labor, and equipment resources.

Setting Up Subcontractor Agreements

As stated earlier, subcontractor commitment to the Recycling Plus Program is absolutely key to achieving good results.  Agreements that simply ask subcontractors to be responsible for their own waste tend not to be uniformly successful, and merely pass on the responsibility.  In such cases, it is often difficult to document what subcontractors are actually doing with the materials.  When setting up subcontractor agreements:

1.   Require a Commitment to the Overall Program.  Language in the subcontractor agreement should commit subcontractors to comply or cooperate with a company- or project-wide Job Site Action Plan.  The  Plan will be developed by the Project Manager or other field personnel.

2.   Require Full Participation in Training and Assessment.  Additional language could require the subcontractor to attend orientation and mid-course assessment meetings as part of fulfilling their waste reduction requirements.

3.   Require Recycling Plus Purchasing Practices.  The agreement can also include a requirement for purchasing recycled-content building products and packaging whenever feasible.  (In a partnering situation, your company can work with the owner to include such provisions in the original specifications.)  See tips for specifying recycled-content building products in Appendix E.

4.   Solicit Input from Subcontractors.  Ask what waste reduction ideas subcontractors have in place now or could implement on the project.  It is important to note that some subcontractors have very aggressive and effective recycling programs.  Encourage these efforts by coordinating your company’s Recycling Plus activities with the subs’ existing programs.

5.   Recognize Subcontractor Participation.  Whether it's required or not, subcontractor participation should be recognized through job-site signage, letters of commendation, or other means.

Working with Suppliers

Suppliers can play a significant role in waste reduction efforts.  You can let your suppliers know that you have a Recycling Plus Program, and ask them to participate themselves.  Table 4 provides a number of ways suppliers can participate.  Suppliers who do participate should be recognized for their efforts.  This can be done using the same methods used to provide recognition to participating subcontractors.

(Again: field personnel have the same opportunities when purchases or substitutions are made from the field.  You should encourage field personnel to take advantage of these.)

Supporting Field Personnel

It will be important for field personnel to know the company is committed to the Recycling Plus Program and that it has the full support of management personnel.  This may be easier to achieve in smaller companies where management and field personnel often overlap and you can take your enthusiasm for the program directly into the field.  Additional ways for management to communicate support can include:

1.       Commit Personnel.  Assign a point person at the corporate level to coordinate the Recycling Plus Program company-wide.  This individual can introduce the program to project managers, provide program materials, be available for questions, and pass information from project to project.

2.       Provide Technical Support.  It is not necessary to hire consultants to use the Recycling Plus Program.  The tools are designed so your field personnel can walk through it step by step.  However, you may choose to provide a baseline for your company's waste reduction and recycling efforts using professional expertise.  A list of construction waste auditors and others providing technical construction recycling assistance is included in Appendix C.  In addition, you may want to make references available on this subject to your field personnel.  A list of recycling and ‘Buy Recycled’ guides and directories is included in Appendix D.

3.       Enlist Field Support.  Provide copies of the Field Guide to all Project Managers and/or Project Superintendents.  Introduce the Field Guide at a meeting to kick off the Program, providing an opportunity for Project Managers/Superintendents to brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate the Program in your company (for example, whether it will be done one project at a time, and if so, which project to start with).  Make sure you provide the Subcontractor Kit  with the Field Guide.  Both the Field Guide and Subcontractor Kit are designed to be photocopied. 

4.       Customize the Recycling Plus Program.   Using the company logo, create company-specific visual aids.  Provide adequate supplies of visual aids such as job-site signs and posters to field personnel.

5.       Ensure subcontractor compliance.  Negotiate subcontractor agreements incorporating the Recycling Plus Program.           

6.       Empower Project Managers or other field personnel responsible for implementing and coordinating the Recycling Plus Program on the job-site to use approved incentives.

7.       Provide approval for end-of-project awards, including related expenses.  (Funds can easily be generated through the savings realized from reduced waste hauling costs.)

8.       Incorporate field personnel recommendations.  Work with Project Managers or field personnel responsible for implementing and coordinating the Recycling Plus Program on fine-tuning the Program for your company.

Case Study

Contractor:          Fletcher Wright Construction

Address:              Seattle, Washington

Contact:              Ken Goldblatt

Phone:                (206) 447-7654

Project Name:     Office Building, Corporate Campus

Project Length:   9 months

Project Size:       $30 million

Project Type:      Commercial

Special notes about project including site constraints that affected recovery efforts.

At times, there was no place to put the recycling container on site because the project schedule was so fast there were materials and workers in every available space.

Materials Recycled

Types                   Amounts

Wood                    295 tons

Drywall                  123 tons

Metal                     Not targeted-however some scrap was collected to fund job-site party.

Cardboard              7 tons    

Total Recycled       425 tons

Total Waste
Generated              938 tons

Indicate percent of the total  waste materials generated that were recycled. 45%

Total amount saved due to recycling  $44,000

Any waste reduction actions taken in addition to recycling.

Constructed 7 4x8 collection boxes.

Most suppliers used dramatically less packaging for deliveries to this building than on previous similar buildings.

Any ideas you came up with to support your Plan: (such as incentives)

Forklift operators were empowered to ‘reject’ loads contaminated by subs.

We posted a public sign indicating cubic yards recycled.

Any suggestions for improving the Program or Program tools:

Distribute Fletcher Wright Recycling Plus Program hard hat stickers.

Send letters thanking subcontractors for participating.

Use audit forms to help identify times to target specific materials.

Bolt reversible signs to dumpsters instead of Velcro-ing to keep them from falling off and getting lost.

‘Require’ instead of ‘suggest’ participation in the program in the Subcontract Agreement.

Clean Washington Center will be surveying successes and lessons learned from the Recycling Plus Program.  Please check below if you do not want to be included in these surveys by the CWC.  I do not want to be included. q

Case Study

Contractor:                                                                   ________________________________

Address:                                                                       ________________________________

Contact:                                                                       ________________________________

Phone:                                                                         ________________________________

Project Name:                                                              ________________________________

Project Length:                                                            ________________________________

Project Size:                                                                ________________________________

Project Type:                                                               ________________________________

Special notes about project including site constraints that may affect recovery efforts.

Materials Recycled

Types                   Amounts

Wood                    ________

Drywall                  ________

Metal                     ________

Cardboard              ________

Total Recycled       ________

Total Waste
Generated              ________

Indicate percent of the total  waste materials generated that were recycled. _______%

Total amount saved due to recycling  $___________

Any waste reduction actions taken in addition to recycling.

Any ideas you came up with to support your Plan: (such as incentives)

Any suggestions for improving the Program or Program tools:

Clean Washington Center will be surveying successes and lessons learned from the Recycling Plus Program.  Please check below if you do not want to be included in these surveys by the CWC.  I do not want to be included. q

Auditing and Other Program Assistance Services as of January 1996

Waste Auditors

Waste Auditors are consultants who perform in-depth sorts and waste audits.  Such detailed audits make sense when you are applying waste reduction techniques for the first time.

Technical and/or Program Assistance Consultants

Other consultants provide technical assistance in setting up or improving your recycling program, including in-depth waste audits, job-site training, and on-the-job monitoring.  Your local solid waste office and the Washington State Department of Ecology can provide information about CDL recycling and waste reduction opportunities in your area.

Directories and Guides List

Waste Reduction

* Includes Directory of Local Recyclers.

Builders Guide to Residential Construction Waste Management.  National Association of Home Builders Research Center, 400 Prince George’s Blvd., Upper Marlboro, MD 20772. (301) 249-4000.

*Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Guide.  Prepared by the L.A. Network for the Integrated Solid Waste Office, 200 No. Main Street, Room 580 CHE, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 237-1444.

*Construction Materials Recycling Guidebook.  Innovative Waste Management for the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities Area.  (612) 432-7038.  

*Construction Site Recycling.  A guide for architects, builders and developers.
(206) 234-3000. METRO Solid Waste Department, 600 NE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 07232-2736.  (503) 797-1650. 

*Contractor’s Guide to Handling Waste.  Cutting costs by recycling, reusing and reducing waste at the construction site.  King County Solid Waste Division, 400 Yesler Way, Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 296-8480 or Seattle Solid Waste Utility, c/o Business and Industry Recycling Venture (BIRV), 1301 5th Avenue, Suite 2400, Seattle, WA  98101 (206) 389-7304.

Environmental Handbook for Oregon Construction Contractors: Best Pollution Prevention Practices.  Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.  Contact
Jo Brooks, Public Affairs.  (503) 229-6044.

"Reducing On-Site Waste."   Building With Value Fact Sheet #1.  BWV Project, PO Box 10705, Bainbridge Island, WA  98110.  (206) 842-8995.

Resource Efficient Building-Reducing Materials Use, Toxicity and Waste in Design and Construction. WRITAR, 1313 5th St. SE, Suite 327 Minneapolis, MN
55414-4502. (612) 379-5995.

WasteSpec: Model Specifications for Construction Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling. Triangle J Council of Governments,  P.O. Box 12276, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (919) 549-0551.

Buy Recycled

"Building With Recycled Content."  Building With Value Fact Sheet #2.  BWV Project, P.O. Box 10705, Bainbridge Island, WA  98110.  (206) 842-8995.

The Environmental Home Center.  A recycled-content building materials supply house. 1724 4th Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98134. (206) 682-7332, fax (206) 682-8275.

A Guide to Recycled Products.  A guide to recycled building and construction products prepared by the Solid Waste Department, Metro, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland, OR  97232.  (503) 797-1650.

Guide to Resource-Efficient Building Elements (GREBE) .  Published by the Center for Resourceful Building Technology, P.O. Box 3866, Missoula, MT 59806.

The Harris Directory of Recycled-Content Building Materials.  Stafford-Harris Inc. 218 Poke Street #326, Pt. Townsend, WA 98165. (206) 682-4042.

McRecycle USA Database, Regional Listings. McDonald’s Environmental Affairs.
(708) 575-5779.

Recycled Product Procurement: A Guide to Recycled Content Building and Construction Products and Resources.  King County Commission for Marketing Recyclable Materials (206) 296-4439, and King County Purchasing Agency (206) 296-4210.

Recycled Products Listings: The Official Recycled Products Guide.  American Recycling Market Inc.  P.O. Box 577, Ogdensburg, NY 13669.  1-800-267-0707.

A Resource Guide to Recycled Construction and Building Products.  Marin County Office of Waste Management, 3501 Civic Center Dr., Suite 403, San Rafael, CA 94903-4177.  (415) 499-6647.

Resources for Environmental Design Index. (REDI Guide) Iris Communications,
P.O. Box 5920, Eugene, OR 97405-0911. (800) 346-0104 or (541) 484-9353.

The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design.  Published by the Boston Society of Architects, 52 Broad St., Boston, MA 02109-4301.  (617) 951-1433.

Sustainable Building Materials Products Directory for Manufactured Housing.  Pacific Northwest Laboratories.  (503) 230-4242.

List of CDL Recycling Coordinators

The Regional CDL Coordinators Planning Group is an informal coalition of representatives from local and state agencies with an interest in issues of recycling and resource efficiency.  Common initiatives include market development for construction, demolition and landclearing materials, outreach to the building community and recycled-content building materials, education about energy and resource efficient practices on the job site and developing public private partnerships to demonstrate the economics of such practices.

Tips for Specifying Recycled-Content Building Materials

It’s What’s Up Front That Counts! 

The most successful construction projects are those where requirements for all members of the building team are clear and known from the start.  Thus, if you want to maximize the use of recycled-content building products in your building projects, your building specifications should say so, and say so clearly.

General Requirements:  The following language was included in the General Conditions Section of the 1995 Central Market Project and was referred to at the start of each division:

How to Title the Requirement:   You will want to title the requirement: “Recycled Content Materials and Products.”  However, if you wish to include a requirement for job-site recycling in your specifications package, you could include the requirement for recycled-content materials under the general heading of “Waste Reduction” with your language on job-site recycling.

Specific Requirements:  The most effective product specification will make it clear the product being specified must have recycled content, whether it is a named product or “equivalent.”  This can be done with a recycled content icon or a parenthetical note, such as “includes” or “must include recycled content” (whatever is appropriate.)  Other information, derived through product research, should also be included to make it easy

to understand and follow through on the specification.  Include whether the recycled content is post-industrial or post-consumer if that information is readily available.  (See definition, below.)

Here’s a sample of language that could be used to specify drywall with recycled content:

Product Substitutions:  Specification packages usually include requirements for product substitutions.  Make sure this language includes a provision for verifying recycled content when substituting a product that is not named in the specifications package for a product with recycled content that is named.
Requirements vs. Goals:  You be the judge as to whether you want to make it a goal rather than a requirement.  Most people find that requirements up front work best.  If you do use the “goal” approach, then you might want to use additional incentives (such as publicity) to back it up.

A Note About Product Research:  Verifying recycled content can become part of screening a product for use on a job, along with cost, performance, and availability.    In the course of product research it is a good idea to acquire manufacturer data sheets or spec sheets.  These can come in handy if the building inspector on your job has a question regarding a particular recycled-content product’s code compliance.

It’s a Team Effort!  

This isn’t new -- a successful construction project takes a coordinated effort on the part of every member of the building project team.  When introducing the concept of using recycled content products, it’s important that everyone on the team is aware of the effort. That includes the owner or tenant, general contractor, subcontractor and anyone else making decisions affecting the purchase and use of materials on the job.  In addition to the written specifications package, this can be communicated at weekly project planning meetings and on drawings.

A Note About Changes On the Job:  Even in the ideal situation, there will be changes.  That’s the nature of construction.  And, even if these changes are minor, they can make a specified product no longer appropriate (perhaps because the product is not available in a non-standard size or in a particular color).  It’s best to make someone on the team responsible for reminding field or other personnel that the original intent was to use a recycled-content product and to seek alternatives with recycled content when changes necessitate looking for a different supplier or product.

Construction Materials with Recycled Content

Recycled content materials are available in the following divisions.  See “Buy Recycled Directories and Guides” as listed in Appendix D for specific product information.

Division 2:        Sitework

         Filter fabric, radon protection          materials

         Paving systems

         Site structures (drainage)

         Plants, compost, soil        amendments

Division 3:        Concrete

         Cement

         Aggregate

         Admixtures

         Reusable forms

         Precast concrete

Division 4:        Masonry

         CMUs

         Bricks

         Autoclaved Cellular Concrete

Division 5:        Metals

         Steel framing

         Rebar

Division 6:        Wood and Plastics

         Engineered Lumber

         Remanufactured Wood Products

         Wood preservatives and glues

         Plastic Lumber

         Paper-waste structural products

Division 7:        Thermal and                                        Moisture Protection

         Waterproofing and             Dampproofing products

         Insulation

         Siding, Sheathing

         Roofing and flashing

         Vapor barriers

         Sealants, Sealers

Division 8:        Doors and Windows

         Doors

         Windows

         Skylights and other daylighting       devices

Division 9:        Finishes

         Drywall

         Tiles (ceramic & stone)

         Acoustical ceilings

         Wood paneling and flooring

         Resilient flooring (sheet, tile)

         Carpet

         Paints and stains

         Wall coverings

         Adhesives and finishes

Division 10:      Specialties

         Toilet Partitions

         Toilet and Bath Accessories

         Wall and Corner Guards

Division 11:      Equipment

         Appliances

         Hot Water Heaters

Division 12:      Furnishings

Division 13:      Pre-Engineered                                   Structures

Division 15:      Mechanicals

         Solar energy equipment

         Wood burning equipment

         Ventilation equipment

         Plumbing - supply and waste

Division 16:      Electrical

         Lighting

Clip Art

The following clip art can be used with your company signs, newsletters and other printed materials promoting your Recycling Plus Program.

 

Field Guide
Developed for the
Construction Industry

Section 1:     Introduction

                        The Three R's................................................................................... 1-1

                        Tools You Can Use........................................................................... 1-2

                        Table 1: Basic Steps of the Recycling Plus Program............................ 1-3

                       

Section 2:     Planning Issues

                        What is a Recycling Plus Job-Site Action Plan?................................. 2-1

                        Job-Site Recovery Issues.......................................