Muhlenberg College
OP-24: Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion

Construction and demolition materials recycled, donated, or otherwise recovered: “The East Hall project produced 218.55 tons of waste materials. The recycling program was successful in diverting 194.52 tons, or 89.00% of these materials from landfills.” This project was worked on during the 2013-2014 school year. Construction and demolition materials landfilled or incinerated: 24.03 tons Rubble (brick, block, asphalt, masonry, etc.) is hauled to a local recycler and crushed into aggregate products. This material is hauled to a quarry where it is processed (crushed and screened) into a variety of fill products (backfill, sub-base, road-base etc.) Metal is consolidated locally, processed, shipped to a recycler or large consolidator. The material is shredded and cleaned at the processor before being shipped to a mill where it is forged into new metal products. Wood waste is taken to a mulch processor where it is ground into mulch and compost products. This material is used as a fertilizer and in landscaping. Trash materials include packing foam, fines (dust and very fine waste materials), composite materials, miscellaneous plastics, worker trash and other materials. Trash is disposed of in landfills. Drywall is hauled to a processor where the material is ground and screened. The separated gypsum is processed into a soil amendment, fertilizer and conditioner. Scrap drywall paper is screened off and used in animal bedding and for other purposes. Recovered Recyclables are shipped off-site for sorting and recycling. Recovered recyclables included wood, metal, drywall, cardboard, film plastic, rigid plastic, rubble, ceiling tile, carpet and select other materials. These loads are not quantified by type. Cardboard is consolidated, baled and shipped to a recycler for manufacturing into new paper products. Plastic waste from the project is commingled with other debris and separated off-site. Plastics are graded by type: • PVC pipe waste is ground and washed into a fill product used in making new PVC pipe. • HDPE spackle buckets, pipe, spools, lids, etc. are ground washed and used in new HDPE products. • Miscellaneous film plastics (LDPE, PP, HDPE etc.) are baled. This material is shipped overseas where the plastics are separated by hand and recycled in various methods depending on type. • PET bottles are consolidated, baled, ground, washed and made into new PET products. Fiberglass is baled and shipped to a mill where it is recycled into new building products. PVC is consolidated and hauled to a processor where it is recycled into new vinyl products Ceiling Tile is consolidated and hauled to a mill where it is recycled into new ceiling tile products Carpet is baled and hauled to a processor there is further sorted and ground. Recovered materials are used in new carpet and a variety of other applications.

Brett Fulton and David Rabold contributed to this reporting.