Emeryville, California
A Former California
Brownfield Recycled
Sustainable reuse of brownfields properties increasingly involves an emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of building
renovation. One of the most effective ways of reducing these impacts is the recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste.
Recycling of C&D waste can prevent loss of useful property, wasted materials, and embodied energy. It also helps to conserve
raw materials through the use of existing materials, conserves energy and water, and reduces the production of greenhouse gas
emissions and other pollutants. Furthermore, by providing materials to local vendors and processors, C&D recycling can create
employment and economic activity that helps sustain local economies.
Project Highlights
In July 2003, the City of Emeryville provided
$1,175,000 in Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds to
GreenCity LLC to assist with cleanup costs
associated with the GreenCity Lofts property, a
former paint factory. The GreenCity Lofts project
team completed cleanup of the 0.9-acre property
in December 2004 and 62 condominiums were
constructed in 2005. Demolition of the former
paint factory and warehouse buildings was
necessary before construction of the lofts could
begin. The project team employed C&D waste
recycling practices including deconstructing (hand-
dismantling) the buildings on the former industrial
property as an alternative to traditional demolition.
As a result, 94.6 percent of the demolition
waste was recycled, exceeding the nearby City
of Oakland's legal requirement by 45 percent.
In addition, 21,569 tons of excavated soil were
diverted from disposal and used as Beneficial Cover
at a local Class II Landfill reducing project cost by
an estimated $496,708 in eliminated tipping fees.
Background
The GreenCity Lofts property is on the border
of Emeryville and Oakland, in the San Francisco
Bay Area. The property was used for paint
manufacturing from 1923 through 1991 and then
as a warehouse from 1991 through 2000. The soil
was contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons due
to its former use as a paint factory. The property's
ground water was also contaminated with petroleum
hydrocarbons due to a neighboring paint factory.
The Bay Area city of Emeryville, like many other
urban centers, is experiencing a major population
growth. As a result, demand for housing is exerting
tremendous pressure to develop remaining open
space which contributes to urban sprawl. The
increasing housing demand and lack of available
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land are driving the redevelopment of abandoned
industrial land. In 2000, former Oakland Mayor
Jerry Brown challenged developers to build projects
that would revitalize city neighborhoods and set
a new sustainable standard. Responding to the
Mayor's challenge, GreenCity Development Group
envisioned reclaiming the abandoned 80-year old
paint factory property for construction of "green"
high-density housing. However, environmental
cleanup costs presented a substantial barrier to
reclaiming the abandoned industrial land.
Process
To offset the costs associated with the
environmental cleanup, the City of Emeryville
provided $1,175,000 in EPA Brownfields Revolving
Loan Funds (RLF) to GreenCity LLC in July
2003. Cleanup of the GreenCity Lofts property
was subsequently completed in December 2004.
As part of the building permit process, GreenCity
LLC submitted a Waste Reduction & Recycling
Plan (WRRP) to the City of Oakland. The WRRP
documents show how the developer will meet the
city's goal of reducing the quantity of construction
C&D debris disposed of at landfills by 50 percent
or greater.
Consistent with the approved WRRP, project
contractors implemented onsite source separation
of demolition materials and segregated recycling
for the deconstruction and new construction phases
of the project. Onsite co-mingling of C&D waste
with an off-site waste segregation method was
used for the final (traditional) phase of demolition.
According to an Emeryville city official, C&D
debris recycling strategies can increase project
cost due to the need for skilled labor. Fortunately,
the terms (i.e., two-year interest free grace period,
3.5-years to pay thereafter, and two percent interest
rate) of the EPA Brownfields RLF loan helped to
reduce the developer's C&D recycling costs.
Construction and Demolition Debris
Construction and demolition (C&D) debris is produced
during new construction, renovation, and demolition of
buildings and structures. C&D debris includes bricks,
concrete, masonry, soil, rocks, lumber, paving materials,
shingles, glass, plastics, aluminum (including siding),
steel, drywall, insulation, asphalt roofing materials,
electrical materials, plumbing fixtures, vinyl siding,
corrugated cardboard, and tree stumps.
C&D materials can be recovered through reuse
and recycling. In order for materials to be reusable,
contractors generally must remove them intact (e.g.,
windows and frames, plumbing fixtures, floor and ceiling
tiles) or in large pieces (e.g., drywall, lumber). In order
to be recyclable, materials must be separated from
contaminants (e.g., trash, nails, and broken glass).
Results
The GreenCity Lofts project recycled a record
94.6 percent of its demolition wastes; exceeding
Oakland's legal requirement of 50 percent by
45 percent. The high rate of C&D recycling was
achieved in large part due to the deconstruction
demolition process implemented. Deconstruction
versus traditional demolition allowed large
quantities of market-valued materials (i.e., plumbing
and electrical fixtures, lumber, windows, and steel)
to be salvaged and recycled. During construction
of the lofts, 21,569 tons of excavated soil were
diverted from disposal and used as Beneficial Cover
at a local Class II Landfill. This reduced project cost
by an estimated $496,708 in eliminated tipping fees.
Emeryville's RLF grant leveraged the cleanup
and reuse of an 80-year old abandoned industrial
property for much needed housing. The project was
proclaimed "the greenest multifamily development"
by former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. From
the inception to the finished product, sustainable
practices were implemented throughout the life
cycle of the project:
Emeryville, CA
A Former California Brownfield
Solid Waste
and Emergenc
EPA-560-F-07-228
August 2007
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Key Benefits
• Diverted 94.6 percent of demolition wastes
from disposal thus, conserving space in
existing landfills.
• Reduced overall building project expenses
by avoiding C&D debris disposal costs
(estimated $496,708 in tipping fees).
• Allowed for the maximum recovery of
waste material such as plumbing and
electrical fixtures, salvageable lumber, and
various metals.
• Reduced the financial and environmental
impact associated with extracting, processing,
and transporting raw materials.
• Generated revenue from the sale of market-
value materials recovered as a result of
innovative demolition.
• Qualified for a significant tax rebate offered
by the City of Oakland Public Works Agency.
• Strengthened the local economy by
supporting local markets for recyclables and
the local work force.
• Deconstruction of the buildings resulted in
demolition waste being diverted conserving
landfill space, and easing the environmental
impacts and costs of processing, shipping, and
extracting raw materials.
• Lofts were built following U.S. Green Building
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) principles using recycled building
materials and local/regional materials.
• Project maximized the use of energy/water
efficient technologies, such as collecting
water runoff for use in landscape irrigation
and providing wiring in the parking garage to
accommodate electric motor vehicles.
• Housing project complied with Emeryville's
affordable housing goal by providing six
affordable housing units.
By implementing C&D materials recycling along
with other sustainable reuse practices during the
redevelopment of former brownfields, key EPA
Brownfields Program goals were met and creation
of a potential future brownfields was avoided.
More information on Construction and Demolition
Debris and brownfields can be obtained at http://
www.epa.gov/brownfields/tools/tti_assess_cleanup.
htm#construction or by contacting the EPA Office
of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
(OBCR) at (202) 566-2777.
The EPA Brownfields Program provides grants to fund environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training activities.The Program is
designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner
to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.
Emeryville, CA
A Former California Brownfield
Recycled (C&D Recycling)
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105
EPA-560-F-07-228
August 2007
pa.gov/brownfields
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