United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Resource Conservation Challenge:
Reusing and Recycling Industrial
Materials
The main goal of the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) is to change the way
Americans think about wasteto see the value of a used material as a product or com-
modity, not as a waste. Thousands of manufacturing processes and utility generators
create hundreds of millions of tons of materials that are largely wasted. The RCC aims to
not only change our thinking about these materials, but also to "reclaim" them. It relies
heavily on voluntary partnerships to promote and encourage the use and recycling of
these rich, largely untapped resources. Positive economic rewards and environmental
results are moving our partners toward more waste reduction and materials management.
By committing ourselves to reduce more waste, to reuse and recycle more materials, to
buy more recycled and recyclable products, and to reduce toxic chemicals in products
and waste, we conserve energy and preserve natural resources.
Goal: Increase Reuse and Recycling of Industrial
Materials
The RCC is focusing first on three industrial materials, which are generated in large vol-
umes and amenable to beneficial use. These are:
Coal ash
Foundry sand
Construction and demolition debris
Beneficial use means reusing or recycling materials in practical applications such as
roads, bridges, buildings, or other construction projects. The beneficial use of industrial
materials, such as coal ash, foundry sands, and construction and demolition debris, con-
serves virgin resources and reduces energy use and associated greenhouse gas
emissions.
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RCC Partnerships Promote Beneficial Use Industrial
Materials
We are working with associations and businesses find better ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle
industrial materials that might otherwise be disposed of. Examples of RCC initiatives to beneficial-
ly reuse industrial materials include the following:
Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2).
This cooperative effort with the coal combustion industry is promoting the beneficial use of
coal ash. The partnership is working with all levels of governments and industry to
improve markets and promote the safe use of coal ash. For example, the long-term bene-
fits gained by using coal ash in cement are well proven.
WasteWise Partnership.
For more than a decade, WasteWise partners have shared a common goal to reduce and
recycle many types of waste, from consumer products to manufacturing processes to
industrial byproducts. Businesses, institutions, and governments make up the WasteWise
partnership. They are practicing and testing a wide range of ideas such as using organic
food waste to feed animals and reusing construction and demolition debris from old build-
ings to make new buildings. As part of this latter effort, the partnership is establishing the
WasteWise Building Challenge, which provides incentives for companies to reuse and
recycle more construction and demolition debris.
Foundry Sand Partnerships.
Together with the foundry industry, we've set national goals for the safe reuse of foundry
sands. We're focusing on nonhazardous "green sands," which use clay as a binder mate-
rial and are the molding media most commonly used by foundries. We're also looking for
ways to improve markets for these sands. For example, we plan to examine and publicize
successful uses of foundry sands in various projects around the country. We also plan an
educational campaign about the environmental benefits of foundry sands, which will be
aimed at states and targeted industries.
Construction and Demolition Debris Partnerships.
For nearly 10 years, we've been promoting the benefits of reusing and recycling materials
from construction and demolition projects. We've worked hand-in-glove with the
Construction Materials Recycling Association, the National Demolition Association, the
National Association of Home Builders, the General Contractors Association, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, the Building
Materials Reuse Association, and others to conduct important studies, workshops, and
pilot projects on the value of construction and demolition debris.
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Resource Conservation Challenge
The RCC challenges everyone to accept responsibility and rededicate themselves to conserving
resources. Accepting responsibility for improving our environment means changing our habits,
processes, and practices. Everyone has a role. Businesses, consumers, and governments work
together to make changes resulting in products designed to be more easily reused and recycled.
Manufacturers can make products less toxic and more recyclable, and prevent and recycle waste.
Individuals and businesses can change their buying and disposal habits, seeking less toxic prod-
ucts and recycling at every opportunity. For more information on the challenge, see
.
Resources
The Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2) (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/
c2p2/index.htm) is a cooperative effort among EPA, the American Coal Ash Association, the Utility
Solid Waste Activities Group, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Federal Highway
Administration to help promote the beneficial use of Coal Combustion Products (CCPs) and the
environmental benefits that result from their use.
EPAs Industrial Waste Management Web site (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/industd/
index.htm) provides access to tools and recommendations that can help facility managers make
environmentally responsible decisions, while working in partnership with state and tribal regulators
and the public. It also serves as an implementation reference tool for regulators to complement
existing programs and informs the public about actions they can take to address waste manage-
ment issues in their community. In addition, it provides an excellent resource tool to augment
curriculum in environmental studies and engineering programs at various academic institutions.
Materials and Waste Exchanges (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/jtr/comm/exchange.htm)
are markets for buying and selling reusable and recyclable commodities, including industrial waste
and construction and demolition debris. This site provides a listing of national, international, state,
and regional exchanges.
EPAs Foundry Sand Web Site (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/jtr/comm/sand.htm)
provides links to organizations and resources related to the beneficial reuse of foundry sand.
EPAs Construction and Demolition Debris Web site (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/
debris-new/index.htm) offers comprehensive information on reuse and recycling of construction
and demolition debris.
This issue of the WasteWise Update, WasteWise Update: Building for the Future
(www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/wstewise/pubs/wwupda16.pdf), looks primarily at the
materials efficiency aspects of green buildings, including the reduction, reuse, and recycling of
construction and demolition debris, and the use of recycled, reused, and otherwise "resource-
efficient" building products.
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The mission of the University of Florida Powell Center for Construction and Environment
(www.cce.ufl.edu) is to foster the implementation of sustainability principles into the creation of the built
environment internationally. The Web site includes descriptions of ongoing projects and resources.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center published a document, Field
Guide for Residential Remodelers (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/debris-new/pubs/remguide.pdf), which
provides remodelers with information on cost-effective and voluntary construction waste management. The
guide addresses the unique aspects of remodeling, including differences in waste generation and site and
work characteristics.
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste MC 5305W
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA530-F-05-020
October 2005
www.epa.gov/osw
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