United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-00-001d
June 2000
www.epa.gov/osw
Marion County
Senator Block
Salem, Oregon
82% Reduction of Demolition Materials
Marion County and Salem Area Transit saved almost $160,000 when their
contractor demolished all the buildings on the city's Senator Block to make
space for Salem's new courthouse square. The contractor exceeded the county's
landfill diversion goal of 90% by diverting 92% of demolition materials: 13,700 tons (82%)
through recycling and reuse, and 1,600 tons (10%) through the generation of wood chips
for use as fuel in industrial boilers. Recycling and reuse saved Marion County and Salem
Area Transit over $165,000. An additional $58,000 in equipment and labor costs for
materials recovery were offset by $188,000 savings in hauling and disposal tip fees and
$36,000 in revenue from materials sales.
Project Description
n 1997, Marion County set an example for
other demolition projects in the area when it
required its demolition contractor, Staton
Companies, to divert waste from area landfills
while clearing the site for Marion County's new
courthouse square and transit station. The
county set a goal of 90% landfill diversion
based upon its research of other recovery
efforts.1
The Marion County Senator block
consisted of seven buildings, including a
parking garage, retail stores, and an
apartment building. Prior to demolition,
Marion County's Facility Management
Department salvaged more than 20
types of items for future reuse, such
as light fixtures, air conditioners, and
fire prevention equipment. The
contractor's crews then removed
metal pipes and HVAC ducts from
each room using a small loader. The
crews also removed asphalt roofing,
concrete, and wood, such as large, old
growth timbers, small timbers, and
doors.
After salvage operations were
completed, the contractor's crew
demolished the buildings using a
large track excavator and a crane with
a wrecking ball. The crew then sorted the
remaining wreckage, both mechanically and by
hand and delivered metal (590 tons), asphalt and
asphalt roofing (845 tons), and concrete (11,571
tons) to local recycling companies. These
companies recycled these materials into new
metal, roadbed mix, and slope stabilization
materials. In response to calls from local
residents requesting bricks, the contractor had
crew members sort 661 tons of bricks into a pile
and surrounded the pile with a safety fence. The
county then sponsored the "Great Brick
Materials Collected
scrap metal (including HVAC
ductwork, framing, pipes, conduit,
lighting fixtures, structural steel, doors
and window frames), structural
lumber and trees and stumps, asphalt
and asphalt roofing, and concrete
Salvaged for Reuse
bricks, wood (including old growth
and small timbers), engraved cinder
blocks, marble fireplace, windows,
safety equipment (including
emergency lights,fire alarm pulls and
bells, fire extinguishers , and sprinkler
heads), electrical breakers, light
fixtures, lighting controls and sensors,
time clocks, electrical outlets, water
heaters, heat exchangers, circulating
pumps, water meters, air conditioners,
heaters, thermostats, humidifiers,
handicapped accessibility
fixtures.toilets and urinals, and doors
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g
JS
Giveaway,"a program inviting citizens to
take the bricks for reuse. The contractor
delivered 1,578 tons of wood to a
processor for chipping and use as
industrial boiler fuel and the remaining
1,345 tons of mixed demolition materials
to various local landfills.
The Marion County Solid
Waste Management
Department used the
demolition as a tool to
educate the public about
recycling. The County placed
advertisements on TV and radio,
publicized materials giveaways in
the newspaper, and placed highly-
visible site banners illustrating the
recycling rate of the project.
Project Summary
Date Started May 1997
Date Completed August 1997
Project Square Footage 17a780
Total Waste Generated (Tons) 16,649
Disposed (Tons) 2,923
Landfilled 1,345
Wood Chips for Fuel 1,578
Total Materials Diverted 82%
Total Materials Diverted (Tons) 13,726
Recycled 13,006
Salvaged for Reuse 720
Total Demolition Cost MA
Hauling and Disposal Costs ($/Ton)
Landfilled varied
Incinerated for Energy Recovery $28
Materials Diversion Costs
Planning and Development $0
Labor ~ $22,500
Equipment $35,900
Hauling and Tip Fees $94,500
Revenue/Savings from Materials Diversion
Revenue from Materials Sales $36,000
Savings from Avoided Hauling
and Tip Fees $283,000
Cost/(Savings) from Diversion ($165,700)
Cost/(Savings) per Square Foot ($1)
Key: NA = not available
Notes: Figures may not add to total due to rounding.
Disposal tip fees varied by type of materials disposed.
Savings from avoided disposal resulted from avoiding
costs of hauling and disposing of metals, timbers,
bricks, asphalt roofing, concrete, and asphalt. Tonnage
diverted does not include materials salvaged by the
county because the county did not track these
materials tonnages. Materials diverted through
salvage by the contractor includes 661 tons of bricks,
56 tons of old growth timbeis, and 219 doors
(approximately 3 tons).
Costs/Benefits
The County and Salem
Area Transit saved over
$160,000 ($1 per square &
foot) by diverting demolition 3
c
waste. The project was cost- 8
effective because of a
savings in hauling and J
disposal fees for waste. The !
contractor paid $94,500 to
haul and tip recyclable
materials. Disposal of these
materials would have cost
$283,000.
The savings from
avoided disposal combined with
$36,000 in revenue from materials sales
offset the cost of 577 additional labor
hours ($22,500) and $35,900 in heavy
equipment that were required to sort
materials. Revenue from the sale of metal
and timbers were $25,000 and $11,000,
respectively. The contractor paid to tip all
other recyclables.
The contractor did not recover
materials, with the exception of asphalt
roofing, if the cost was more to recycle it
than to dispose of it. According to the
contractor, window glass, ceiling tile, and
gypsum wallboard could have been
recycled, but the hauling and removal
costs would have been more than the
materials revenue and disposal savings.
The contractor also chose to dispose of
most of the mixed demolition materials
from the largest building because sorting
concrete and steel from gypsum board
and insulation was too costly.
Overall, the County and Salem Area
Transit reduced their demolition costs by
5% and stockpiled tons of reusable
building components while diverting 82%
of demolition materials from disposal.
Tips for Replication
• Be careful not to contaminate the
recovered materials, so that the materials
can be delivered to the processor in a
usable form.
• Include reuse, recycling, and waste
prevention strategies early in the process.
• Set a goal and require the contractor
to recycle.
• Involve and educate the public.
Marion County's goal was
based on avoiding
landfill disposal.
According to its
definition, the County
surpassed its goal;
diverting 82% of the project
demolition materials through
recycling and reuse and 10% through burning of wood
chips as industrial boiler fuel. EPA considers incineration
to be disposal; therefore, by EPA's definition, Marion
County's diversion rate for the project is 82%.
Client
Marion County Department of
Solid Waste Management
388 State Street, Suite 735
Salem, Oregon 97301
Contact: Jim Sears
Phone: 503-588-5169 Fax: 503-588-3565
E-mail: jsears@open.org
Web site: http://www.open.org
Recycling Engineer
Harding Lawson Associates
115 SW Ash Street, Suite 325
Portland, Oregon 97204
Contact: David Allaway
Phone: 503-227-1326 Fax: 503-227-3864
E-mail: dallaway@harding.com
Web site: http://www.harding.com
Demolition Contractor
Staton Companies
85386 Highway 99S
Box 7515
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Contact: Mike Staton
Phone: 541-726-9422 Fax: 541-726-9837
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