WasteSpec: Model Specifications for Construction Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling

Help in Specifying Recycling

Judith Kincaid, Cheryl Walker, and Greg Flynn for the Triangle J Council of Governments, PO Box 12276, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; 919/549-0551, 919/549-9390 (fax). July 1995. Three-ring binder and diskette, 115 pages, $20 (specify diskette type when ordering).

Architects and specifiers who have struggled to incorporate waste reduction and recycling specification language into their project documents will no longer have to reinvent the wheel. These model specifications have been put together with remarkable thoroughness and care, and provide a much needed tool. The hard work of the authors, a large local task force, and over fifty outside reviewers—practitioners and experts nationwide—is evident in the quality of this document.

WasteSpec is organized according to the Construction Specifications Institute’s (CSI) sixteen-division format. Model language regarding waste management requirements (administrative and procedural) applicable to all sections in Divisions 2 through 16 has been specified under “General Requirements” in Division 1, and has not been repeated in individual sections. These generally applicable provisions are referenced in each of the ensuing sections, followed by specific provisions for that section.

WasteSpec’s introduction and appendices are full of highly practical suggestions that will go a long way towards overcoming common obstacles to on-site waste reduction. The only weakness we encountered was some inconsistent and unclear labeling of columns on a Sample Waste Management Plan worksheet (Appendix D).

Although a few comments throughout the document point out areas where other environmental issues might be referenced, in general the

WasteSpec is tightly focused on waste reduction and recycling during construction. Within this specific focus it covers all the bases, with an even balance of actual specification language that can be copied directly and notes to specifiers about waste reduction options.

The specific suggestions included can only be considered a starting point in this rapidly evolving field, to be supplemented by future editions and personal investigations on the part of users. For example, a note under Division 9 reads: “Waste carpet recycling is evolving. Techniques vary according to the type of fiber and backing material and local recycling or collection facilities.” The general guidelines include a useful list of materials for which landfill alternatives should be found:

•Cardboard

•Clean dimensional wood

•Beverage containers

•Land clearing debris

•Concrete

•Bricks

•Concrete Masonry Units (CMU)

•Asphalt

•Metals from various sources

The model language calls for contractors to address, at a minimum, these nine materials in a draft waste management plan, adding others when possible.

WasteSpec is available in a diskette (Word for Macintosh, Word for DOS, or WordPerfect for DOS), allowing users to cut and paste appropriate language into their documents. But the current electronic version is not intended to replace the printed version. Future editions might be designed for better on-screen readability, allowing the publisher to save paper by making it available only electronically.