If you’re involved in construction or demolition in Austin, you’ve probably heard about the city’s Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance. This ordinance is a step towards sustainability and requires certain projects to recycle a certain percentage of debris generated during the project. Understanding and complying with this ordinance not only contributes to a greener Austin but can also impact your project’s bottom line and the ability to receive a certificate of occupancy. Let’s dive into this and see what’s needed to ensure you have the right City of Austin Recyling Reports sometimes also referred to as a Diversion Report.
What is the Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance?
The ordinance is Austin’s way of saying, “Let’s build the future without wasting our resources.” It mandates the recycling of materials from certain construction and demolition projects to divert waste from landfills. The Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Ordinance requires affected construction and demolition projects to divert construction and demolition debris from the landfill. General contractors must reuse or recycle at least 50% of the construction and demolition debris from affected projects. Alternatively, they can landfill less than 2.5 pounds of debris per square foot of floor area. To prove compliance, the contractor must report the tons of debris reused or recycled and the tons landfilled in a City of Austin Recyling Report.
What Projects are affected?
Construction Project
Building permits for more than 5,000 square feet of new, added or remodeled floor area are affected by the ordinance and must comply. Think of it as the city’s RSVP to your building party: “Yes, we’ll come, but only if you recycle.”
Commercial Demolition Projects
Tearing down a building? Commercial and multifamily demolition projects of all sizes are affected by the ordinance. It’s like a break-up with a building, where you have to sort out who keeps the records (or, in this case, the recyclables).
Ordinance Exemptions
Not everyone has to play by these rules. Some projects get a “get out of recycling free” card. The ordinance exempts excavated soil, stone, land-clearing debris, special waste and hazardous material, including asbestos and materials containing lead. General contractors should ensure those materials are handled in accordance with appropriate local and state regulations.
Who is responsible
Simply it is the General Contractor’s job to ensure compliance. Think of them as the recycling captains of the construction site. It’s important for general contractors to work closely with your subcontractors licensed hauler(s), and the processors and/or reuse facilities receiving the construction and demolition debris to meet the ordinance requirements. We have been part of projects where we were hired by a subcontractor who was unaware and all of the demolition material was landfilled, this created an untennble sitution for the GC who was unaware of the requirements prior to starting the project.
What needs to be done to maintain compliance?
1. Recycle construction and demolition debris
It’s like sorting your trash, but on a grander scale. Materials like concrete, wood, and metal need to find new lives.
General contractors with affected projects must do at least one of the following:
- Divert at least 50% of the construction and demolition project debris from the landfill OR
- Dispose of no more than 2.5 pounds of construction and demolition debris per square foot of permitted floor area in the landfill.
- Submit City of Austin Recyling Reports to the city on a regular basis
It’s important to plan ahead to successfully meet the C&D Recycling Ordinance requirements.
Set your team and site up for success at the beginning of your project. General contractors can meet the recycling requirements by reusing C&D material on site, sending separated materials to reuse facilities, sending mixed materials to C&D processors with a licensed hauler like redbox+ Dumpsters or a combination.
2. Track & Log Weight tickets
Keep a diary for your debris. It’s like tracking your steps, but instead of steps, it’s tons of materials.
Before work begins, talk with your subcontractors, licensed hauler(s), and the processors and/or reuse facilities receiving the construction and demolition debris. Confirm they will provide you the tonnage information about your construction and demolition debris recycled and landfilled.
Throughout the project, track all weight tickets to track your recycling and landfilling rates. Use this weight ticket summary spreadsheet (.xls) to calculate the tons landfilled and tons diverted. The spreadsheet is the key component to submitting your City of Austin Recyling Reports successfully.
3. Submit a recycling report to the City of Austin
It’s show-and-tell time with the city officials. You get to brag about how much you’ve recycled. This report must show how many tons of construction and demolition debris were recycled and landfilled during the project.
Licensed haulers and facilities receiving the construction debris can provide the tonnage information a general contractor needs to complete the recycling report. Learn how to submit the required report.
How to achieve Austin Construction & Demolition Recycling compliance on your project
Sorting through the mess can be tricky, but with the right approach, you can make it as smooth as a well-maintained roll off dumpster.
On-Site Separation vs Off-site sorting of mixed debris
Nearly all building endeavors employ mixed waste off-site sorting, with the exception of substantial commericial or industrial ventures where different waste types can each be allocated to a distinct construction dumpster right at the construction area.
Here’s the perk of on-site segregation into various roll-off bins: imagine you’re working on an apartment complex refurbishment with 2,000 windows worth of glass. If you deposit all that glass into one single dumpster, solely for glass, then you have the chance to recycle all of it. Taking our apartment example further, you’d have a separate bin for shingles, another for carpeting, and yet another for drywall. Each bin would be reserved exclusively for one material type, and tossing anything else into them would lead to contamination.
Conversely, if you place glass in a dumpster that’s also loaded with plastic, wood, aluminum, and other materials, you’re looking at mixed waste off-site sorting.
Here’s what happens with off-site sorting: materials from dumpsters are taken to a sorting facility. There, workers sift through the pile attempting to separate recyclable materials. Because the waste is intermingled, only some items are extracted for recycling. The segregated recyclables are then sent to local recycling centers or repurposing sites. Everything that can’t be recycled is transported to the landfill in Austin for disposal.
Mixed off-site sorting typically results in a lower rate of recycling. Nonetheless, it’s significantly more convenient for contractors working on the site, barring those handling large industrial projects.
Regardless of the sorting strategy—on-site or off-site—waste haulers will provide a tally of the weights of recycled materials. These weight tickets are vital for figuring out what fraction of all waste from the project has been recycled or repurposed.
Pros and Cons of Onsite Versus Off-Site Sorting of Construction Waste
On-Site Sorting
This method is like having your own mini recycling center on-site. It requires more space and oversight of the resources to ensure waste is disposed of in the appropriate container but is generally much more cost-effective. Here at redbox+ Dumpsters we recommend that commerical GCs always employe a dedicated metal dumpster, wood dumpster and a concrete dumpster where applicable. These materials are the easiest to obtain 100% recycling rates and will greatly improve your projects overall performance. In some cases where substantial concrete is being disposed of, this alone is enough to offset the recycling requirements for the entire project where mixed recycling is no longer required. If you want help in estimating your waste recycling needs and coming up with a waste management plan please contact us and see how we can help set you up for success on your next project.
Pros:
- You can oversee the sorting, selling materials, and reduce costs.
Cons:
- Added onsite labor in sorting waste and related costs.
- Requires larger sites where there is room to manage extra dumpsters.
- Extra oversight to ensure proper use of roll off dumpsters and prevent contamination.
Off-Site Sorting
It’s the out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach. Ship your debris to a facility, and they’ll take care of the rest. Less hassle on-site, but it could cost more.
Pros:
- Everything can be mixed; less need for on-site trash dumpster management.
- Minimum staff training, to orient team to waste separation.
- Less space needed. You can use hauler’s report as documentation.
Cons:
- Significant cost increases for waste removal.
- Requires a recycling facility that offers sorting.
- Limited pool of trash removal companies who will agree to participate
Non-compliant projects
Don’t comply, and you might face fines or delays. It’s like skipping leg day; eventually, it catches up to you.
If a general contractor is unable to meet the recycling requirements for an affected project or fails to submit the required City of Austin Recyling Reports, the contractor can request a waiver from the city. The contractor must provide evidence that there was a good faith effort to meet ordinance requirements or the waiver request may be denied.
A general contractor whose affected project does not meet the recycling and reporting requirements, and who does not have an approved waiver is in violation of the Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance (Austin City Code Chapter 15-6) and may result in a follow up by the Commercial Compliance Unit or failure to obtain a certificate of occupancy. The general contractor may also be subject to a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $500 per day, per offense.
What to do next?
If your head’s spinning like a drill bit with all this info, don’t worry. Companies like redbox+ Dumpsters of Greater Austin are here to help. We offer roll-off dumpsters and porta-potty rentals and can guide you through the recycling process to ensure your project is as green as Austin’s lush parks. Best part about working with us is we do all of the hard work, sorting the materials, collecting processor reportings and even providing you an update Waste Diversion report that you can just submit to the City of Austin Recyling Reports website.
Whether you’re a construction newbie or a seasoned commerical GC, navigating the ordinance can be as complex as a blueprint for a new skyscraper. But with the right team and resources, you can build compliance right into the foundation of your project.
I hope you find the information valuable, and if you have any questions please call my office at 512-957-9701
Check out our previous article on Green Waste Management solutions or view the The role of dumpster rentals in Austin’s Thriving Construction Industry.