Oakland Port Expanding Debris Recycling

A program that brought airport construction debris to empty fields at Oakland, California’s International Airport for recycling will expand this year to include debris from all construction projects at the Port of Oakland.

The expansion, which could eventually lead to a private construction recycling firm opening shop at the airport, will result in tons of concrete, asphalt, dirt and vegetation being delivered to the airport for shredding.

Port officials argued this week the idea is good for the environment and port finances.

"It allows us to more easily reuse materials, and we have the area to use," said airport Director Steve Grossman. "So it is just the right marriage."

Originally planned as a way for the port to speed up progress and reduce the cost of its airport expansion project, officials found four locations on airport property to store debris. The materials would remain idle until a mound of at least 10,000 cubic feet grew.

Then, a private company would be hired to haul in a shredder to grind the debris into reusable supplies. Those supplies would then be trucked back to port construction sites to use in the building.

The sites, found throughout the airport from its southern border with San Leandro to its northern border with Alameda, range in size from 3 acres to 10 acres.

"We tend to generate a lot of concrete, asphalts and soils that historically we would haul to off-site locations," said Jerry Serventi, director of the port's engineering department. "We would pay them to take it and then pay them to get it back."

By having the sites on airport property, the port believes it might even be able to make money.

Creating the program would cost the port about $1.4 million, but in five years the port could save about $4.1 million for a total savings of $2.6 million, port documents show.

The program is good for the environment, port officials argue, because it will reduce the number of trucks needed and shorten their trips to the dump.

Eventually, plans call for the port to market the site at the corner of Eden Road and Doolittle Drive to private companies. If that plan is followed, a private firm would be allowed to bring in materials from outside the port area for recycling, port documents show. The firm would be allowed to operate for five years.

The port conducted an environmental review and had only one comment. The Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about dust clouding the skies near the airport.

But port officials said such a concern is unwarranted since shredding of materials must be done in accordance with state environmental laws. Those laws demand a low level of dust from   the shredding operation.

"They will have to deal with controlling the dust and noise," Serventi said. Oakland Tribune