Detroit, Michigan
Recycling at Automotive
Site Spurs Revitalization
A Construction and Demolition
Waste Reduction Success Story
former automotive site be
Sustainable reuse of brownfields properties 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 December 2005, the cleanup of a 2-acre, former
automotive property in Detroit, Michigan was
made possible through the leadership of a local
nonprofit organization and funding assistance
provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), in-kind services, and C&D waste
recycling activities. Working within a tight budget,
Focus: HOPE Revitalization conducted demolition
and cleanup activities on the brownfields property
for its intended reuse as a parking lot for a planned
mixed-use development on the adjacent property.
Construct/on 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).
C&D waste recycling activities essentially made the
project feasible by reducing the total project cost
by 20 percent, a savings of $150,000, through the
recycling of approximately 1,200 tons of materials
and over 13,000 gallons of liquid waste water. The
property's reuse has provided a catalyst to revitalize
the surrounding neighborhood.
Background
HOPE Revitalization is a nonprofit corporation
formed by Focus: HOPE, a 40-year old nonprofit
civil and human rights organization in the City
of Detroit. As a primary goal of Focus: HOPE
Revitalization's community development initiative,
the organization is spurring redevelopment in the
neighborhood surrounding its campus, which has
been devastated by blighting influences and a 1997
tornado that destroyed a number of homes.
Focus: HOPE Revitalization recognized that the
2-acre property with an abandoned, 80,000-square
foot building, once used for the manufacturing
of heavy sheet metal stamping presses for the
automotive industry, was a blight to the community.
A five-phase development project is underway for
the area surrounding the campus; the cleanup and
demolition of the abandoned industrial property was
the critical first phase to redeveloping the area.
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Process
Focus Hope: Revitalization obtained the abandoned
automotive property through a donation from U.S.
Real Estate. EPA Assessment grant funding through
Wayne County and EPA cleanup funding through
the City of Detroit's Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
program and a direct cleanup grant to Focus: HOPE
Revitalization allowed for the assessment and
cleanup of the property. The Phase I and Phase II
environmental assessments revealed polychlorinated
biphenyl (PCB), asbestos, mercury, sodium
hydroxide, and residual polynuclear aromatic
hydrocarbon (PNA) contamination which required
cleanup of the property. Cleanup and demolition
activities commenced in August 2005 and were
completed in December 2005.
As part of the cleanup and demolition process,
Focus: HOPE Revitalization incorporated C&D
waste recycling as a key component, since the
organization is keenly aware of the need for
sustainability in all of its activities. Neither
the local nor state government required C&D
waste recycling for the project. To ensure that
recycling was built into the project, Focus: HOPE
Revitalization included C&D waste recycling early
in the project design process by explicitly requiring
specifications for recycling as part of the Request
for Qualifications (RFQs) for environmental
consulting services. As a result, the organization
hired an environmental consultant, AKT Peerless
Environmental Services, to provide oversight and
a cleanup contractor experienced in C&D waste
recycling.
Project Funding
EPA Assessment grant funding
from Wayne County $30,000
EPA Cleanup grant funding
to Focus: HOPE Revitalization $200,000
EPA RLF loan from the City of Detroit $350,000
In-kind expenditures
from Focus:HOPE Revitalization $20,000
In-kind services from AKT Peerless $15,000
Material reuse savings through
C&D material reuse $50,000
Disposal cost savings through
C&D debris recycling $100,000
To implement and enforce the C&D waste recycling
strategy, the environmental consultant provided
daily monitoring and inspection oversight to verify
material quantities and collect daily manifests. This
attention to detail was extremely important to the
success of the project due to a tight budget and the
need to maximize the value of the steel and other
recyclable materials (e.g., concrete, waste liquids
and oils, light ballasts, and tubes/vapor bulbs) to
offset costs. Focus: HOPE Revitalization received a
credit for the value of the steel sold for reclamation,
therefore, clear and accurate monitoring of the
quantities was critical to receiving the maximum
credit. The consultant and cleanup contractor
worked diligently to maximize the value of the
credit and extend the available budget by taking
special care in segregating contaminated from non-
contaminated areas so that overall disposal costs
could be minimized.
Because the property was a brownfield, additional
precautions were necessary to protect workers
during the C&D process as well as to ensure that
no exposure from demolition dust and debris would
impact the public and surrounding community. To
manage these issues, the cleanup contractor used
water throughout the project for dust suppression
and conducted air monitoring as necessary. Further,
all demolition materials were evaluated through
analytical testing and decontaminated, as necessary,
and/or source separated prior to off-site disposal.
Results
As a result of the C&D waste recycling and reuse
efforts of Focus: HOPE Revitalization and its
team, approximately 1,200 tons of materials and
over 13,000 gallons of liquid waste water were
C&D Success Story Solid Waste
Recycling at Former Automotive Site Spurs Revitalization and Emergency
Detroit, Ml Response (510
EPA-560-F-08-001
January 2008
>a.aov/brownfields
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Recycled Materials from the Former
Automotive Site
' 738 tons of steel
• 469 tons of concrete footings and foundations
• 1,760 cubic yards of floor slab
• 13,100 gallons of liquid from an underground
storage tank (LIST)
• One 16,000-gallon steel UST
• 320 kilograms of PCB-containing light ballasts
• 101 kilograms PCB-containing capacitors
• 478 kilograms of non-PCB transformer,
including oils
• 225 circular mercury vapor bulbs
• 176 fluorescent bulbs
• 110 gallons (two drums) of petroleum distillates/
mineral spirits
• One55-gallon drum of wastewater;
two 55-gallon drums of waste oil; two 30-gallon
drums of waste corrosive liquid; and 60 gallons of
hydraulic oil.
Key Lessons Learned
• Project proved that brownfields cleanup and
demolition is feasible and that recycling can be a
valuable component of the cleanup and
demolition effort.
• It is essential to have a committed environmental
consultant providing oversight as well as a
contractor who is familiar with the markets and
methods for recycling.
separated from non-recyclable demolition debris
and reclaimed and thereby diverted from landfills.
Reuse of portions of the existing footings and
foundations helped stabilize site soils. Because the
nonprofit was working within such a tight project
budget, the $150,000 or 20 percent of the total
project costs saved through material reuse and
avoided disposal costs were critical to the project's
success. Essentially, the recycling effort made this
project feasible, by reducing the costs of the overall
cleanup and demolition. See the sidebar for a
detailed breakout of materials separated, transported
off-site, and recycled.
Besides the inherit smart growth benefits associated
with the redevelopment of previously used urban
sites, the reuse of this former automotive property is
providing a catalyst to neighborhood revitalization.
A site that was previously a blight to the community
now provides much needed parking for the area. As
the first phase of a five-phase revitalization strategy,
this C&D brownfields project paved the way for the
construction of a nearby 55 unit apartment building
for low income senior citizens which was completed
in February 2007. These accomplishments resulted
in the designation of the area as a "Cool Cities
Neighborhood" by the State of Michigan, including
a $100,000 grant to develop a park, which will
further catalyze the revitalization of the community.
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.
C&D Success Story
Recycling at Former Automoti'
Detroit, Ml
iurs Revitalization
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (51'
EPA-560-F-08-001
January 2008
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