United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-00-001g
June 2000
www.epa.gov/osw
Whole Foods Market
Corporate
Headquarters Building
Austin, Texas
42% Reduction of Renovation Materials
When Whole Foods renovated its corporate headquarters in fall 1998, with the goal to
create a "green" commercial building, it required all contractors to reduce, reuse, or recycle
their waste. Contractors recovered 42% of the project waste while saving Whole Foods over
$2 per square foot. Whole Foods reached this reduction level despite being located in a city
tha t has few established markets for recyclables and four landfills tha t keep disposal ra tes
low.
Project Description
Whole Foods expanded its corporate
headquarters by renovating 4,000 square
feet on the third floor of its existing building and
over 11,500 square feet on the third floor of an
adjacent building. The renovation involved
removing all existing materials except for the
frame and exterior wall. In order to create a
seamless transition between the two
buildings, the contractor had to lower one
part of the floor and raise the roof of the
adjacent building. Whole Foods began
planning for the expansion in January 1998
with an overall goal to create a "green"
commercial structure within reasonable cost
and available technology. To meet this goal,
Whole Foods allowed a 10 percent
price preference for sustainable
building techniques and materials,
and the project manager required all
contractors to reduce, reuse, and
recycle, C&D debris.
The project manager, who was
also the sustainability consultant,
included a section in the project
contract on materials management.
This section specified acceptable
procedures for reusing and recycling
renovation materials. The project
manager also required contractors to
complete a Summary of Waste
Generated and Recycled for the Project form. To
enforce the provisions in the contract, Whole
Foods did not process payments unless the
general contractor submitted this form. As an
incentive for crew members, the contract allowed
for a portion of materials sales revenue to fund
refreshments for them.
The general contractor was in charge of all
materials management, including recycling
structural steel and other metals, and salvaging
other building materials. The builder used many
salvaged materials in the renovation and donated
other reusable materials to various organizations,
such as Habitat for Humanity. Overall, project
participants diverted 42% of materials generated
during the renovation from disposal.
Because the renovation took place on the
Materials Collected
structural steel, miscellaneous metals
(metal studs, ceiling grid and support
wire, conduit, strapping from lumber
and deliveries, tubing, piping, and
rebar), and cardboard
Reused On-site
mop sink, fire-rated ceiling tiles, light
fixtures, HVAC devices, and fire-rated
doors and hardware sets
carpeting, spotlights and track lights,
wooden doors, plywood, medium
density fiberboard (MDF), soundboard,
accordion-folding wall, ceramic floor
tile, ceiling fans, cabinets, mirrors, and
structural wood and flooring
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third floor, staff had to load all materials
into a freight elevator and transport it
through the loading dock. The loading
dock had only enough space for one
30-cubic-yard roll-off at a time and,
therefore, staff had to rotate roll-offs
for disposal and recycling. Staff had
to store materials on the job site
until they could be placed into the
appropriate roll-off.
Costs/Benefits
The Whole Foods Market
Corporate Headquarters Expansion
Project has not only served as a prototype
for "green" commercial building in Austin,
but was also cost-effective. By recycling
and reusing materials, Whole Foods saved
over $32,000. Even though the company
was willing to pay more for using
sustainable building techniques, it actually
paid less. Reusing materials, such as fire-
rated ceiling tile, light fixtures, and HVAC
diffusers, saved almost $25,000 in new
Project Summary
Date Started January 1998
Date Completed October 1998
Project Square Footage 15,500
Total Waste Generated (Tons) 55.0
Disposed (Tons) 31.8
Total Materials Diverted (Tons) 23.2
Recycled 9.3
Reused 5.4
Donated 8.5
Total Materials Diverted 42%
Hauling and Disposal Tip Fees ($/ton)
Landfill $51.42
Materials Diversion Costs
Planning and Development $1,400
Labor ' $209
Hauling and Tip Fees $0
Revenue/Savings from Materials Diversion
Revenue from Materials Sales $226
Savings from Materials Reuse $24,675
Savings from Avoided Disposal $1,193
Tax Deductions from Donations $8,335
Cost/(Savings) from Diversion ($32,820)
Cost/(Savings) per Square Foot ($2.10)
Notes: Figures may not add to total due to rounding.
Shellie Reott calculated savings from materials reuse
using avoided purchase price of new materials.
Savings from avoided disposal resulted from avoided
hauls and disposal of 117 cubic yards of materials.
materials purchases. Avoided disposal
saved the project almost $1,200, while
revenue from materials recovery totaled
over $200. Labor costs for the project
totalled almost $83,000 and included costs
for the general contractor (6,000 hours),
costs for general cleanup (930 hours), and
all subcontracted labor. Due to careful
planning and the relatively small site area,
labor costs for moving materials for reuse
to and from on-site storage locations were
only $209. Materials diversion did not
appear to increase fees subcontractors
charged for labor. Materials diversion
required additional design, planning, and
consulting, which cost approximately
$1,400 more than if the project had no
materials diversion. Overall, these
increased costs were offset by lower costs
for waste hauling, disposal, materials
purchases, and revenue from materials
sales.
Tips for Replication
• Communicate your needs in the
specifications and at pre-bid and pre-
construction meetings to all players,
including the job foreman, materials
salesmen, and the project superintendent.
• Involve the general contractor early in
the design process.
• Usejob-site safety meetings to
communicate waste reduction goals.
• Do not over-complicate waste
handling guidelines.
• Carefully coordinate reuse of smaller
materials such as door hardware.
• Create recycling and waste reduction
incentives for the construction crew such
as pizza parties and doughnuts for breaks.
• If space is limited, use a separate
storage facility for reusable items to avoid
unnecessary moving of materials.
Client
Whole Foods Market
601 N. Lamar Boulevard,
Suite 300
Austin, Texas 78703
Contact: Mike Willoughby (Facility Manager)
Phone: 512-477-4455 Fax: 512-477-1301
E-mail: mike.willoughby@wholefoods.com
Web site: http://www.wholefoods.com
Project Manager/Sustainability Consultant
Earthly Ideas
510 E.Mary Street
Austin, Texas 78704-3143
Contact: Shellie Reott (Principal)
Phone: 512-444-0980 Fax: 512-444-7743
E-mail: earthly@io.com
Web site: http://www.io.com/earthly
General Contractor
White Construction Company
5806 Mesa Drive,
Suite 335
Austin, Texas 78731-3742
Contact: David Frame (Project Manager)
Phone: 512-302-1177 Fax:512-302-3009
E-mail: davidf@whiteconst.com
Web site: http://www.whiteconst.com
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