C&D News

A 12-page booklet providing outdoor project ideas using leftover material from larger projects, titled "The Right Ideas for Leftovers," has been published by the Southern Pine Council, Kenner, La.

Ten different projects, including a garden arbor, planter stands, two styles of walkway lampshades, five styles of garden borders, and a distinctive doghouse are shown. Illustrated construction details are provided for each design, along with a photo of the completed project.

A copy of the publication (request #817) is available for $2.00 per copy from the Southern Pine Council, Box 641700, Kenner, La., 70064-1700.

Seattle Project Educates Contractors

Fletcher Wright Construction, the oldest commercial contractor in Seattle, and O’Brien & Co., Bainbridge Island, Wash., recently teamed up to develop a model recycling and waste reduction program designed to be user-friendly and industry-appropriate. The project was funded by the Recycling Technology Assistance Partnership, a division of the Clean Washington Center, Seattle. Research and training assistance was provided by Sound Resource Management Group, also of Seattle.

The project consisted of four elements. The first was assessing existing job-site recovery research for lessons learned, pitfalls to avoid, and best management practices to include. The second element was collecting and analyzing waste disposal and recovery data on the construction of three similar three-story office buildings using different waste disposal and recycling methods. The third element was developing components of a company-wide job-site recycling and reduction program including best management practices. And the fourth element was outreach to the construction industry.

According to project officials, this project shows how a company-wide model program based on lessons learned in the field can be used to promote cost-effective and efficient job-site recycling and waste reduction.

U.S. Army Deconstructs, Doesn't Demolish

In an attempt to reduce costs for disposal and demolition of old buildings, the United States Army is instituting the practice of deconstruction – the selective dismantling and removal of materials from buildings instead of merely crushing and demolishing them wholesale. The process allows recovery of materials such as brick, concrete and oak flooring. In the past, the standard practice was to contract with large demolition companies that landfilled all debris.