Industry News

FRANCHISING RAISES HACKLES

Recyclers of construction and demolition materials are having increasing problems dealing with municipal franchising laws, especially in South Florida. The issue was one of several facing C&D materials recyclers cited at a session that took place during the National Association of Demolition Contractors (NADC) Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla., in early April.

NADC guest speaker Timothy Townsend, a researcher at the University of Florida who has worked on several projects focusing on C&D materials recycling, noted that "exclusive franchise agreements" have hampered C&D recycling efforts in Florida, and attendees were quick to agree.

Several demolition contractors and recyclers in attendance said they are facing container placement fees in the $50 range in cities such as Orlando and Fort Myers, Fla.

Townsend noted that one Florida legislator introduced Senate Bill 1462 last year, which would have defined recovered C&D materials as a separate product category exempt from solid waste franchising regulations. But he remarked that efforts to pass the bill have stalled, and it does not seem likely to move forward any time soon.

Rigid franchising agreements have been seen in other parts of the country as well, including California and Washington State.

Other issues facing C&D recyclers include coping with the presence of lead-based paint (LBP) and lumber treated with chromium copper arsenate (CCA) in the recycling stream.

Regulators and health officials remain vigilant in terms of carefully monitoring the handling of lead in any form, including as paint in the C&D concrete and wood stream. Concerns about toxic levels of arsenic found in CCA-treated wood are more recent.

Concrete recyclers are maintaining that LBP within the concrete stream is found in such small amounts as to be negligible in any given load of crushed concrete. "It would be very difficult for concrete to be considered a hazard because of a coat of lead-based paint," said Townsend.

Recyclers of scrap wood, however, will have to remain vigilant in how they handle older painted wood as well as decking, stairs and other pieces of lumber that were treated with CCA. He noted that wood fuel users have their emissions monitored for lead and arsenic, so material will have to meet set standards of non-contamination. There are also concerns in the mulch market that CCA-treated wood be kept out of that stream, because mulch is handled by bare hands and used as playground cover.

The NADC Annual Convention took place at the Renaissance Orlando resort March 30 to April 2.

OREGON ENACTS ASBESTOS REVISION

At a December meeting in Portland, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) approved a temporary rule to provide immediate relief from asbestos requirements that are causing implementation problems for some Oregon contractors.

Representatives of several trade associations, including the Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association, the Oregon Building Industry Association and the Oregon Remodelers Association, had contacted the DEQ seeking relief and asking for a chance to provide input on a re-write of the new asbestos amendments.

The associations identified a number of concerns with the recent rule changes that are problematic, according to the DEQ. The temporary rule "reflects DEQ’s commitment to resolve these concerns," the agency says in a news release.

The temporary rule will be followed by an identical permanent rule that will be proposed for EQC adoption in the Spring of 2003.

The temporary rule includes several changes involving distinctions between "shattered" and "friable" asbestos material as well as the handling of materials at smaller job sites.

More information on the asbestos program in Oregon can be found at the DEQ Web site at http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/asbestos/index.htm.

SHINGLES LOOK TO SHAKE ASBESTOS REPUTATION

Among the topics at the Second Asphalt Shingles Recycling Forum, which took place April 13-14 in Minneapolis, was a discussion of removing regulatory barriers to shingle recycling.

Because a few brands of shingles contained small amounts of asbestos when they were manufactured decades ago, traces of asbestos sometimes show up when tests of old shingles are conducted. As a percentage of the overall materials mix, recyclers contend, asbestos is insignificant.

Paul Ruesch, of Chicago-based U.S. EPA Region 5, explained the current federal regulations regarding asbestos-containing materials. Because of that small number of shingles many years ago that had asbestos in them, the perception that shingles have asbestos remains a barrier to more asphalt shingle recycling. This is despite that fact that testing of incoming loads of shingles to recycling yards shows the presence of asbestos to be virtually non-existent.

Also speaking was Dan Krivit, of Dan Krivit and Associates, St. Paul, Minn., one of the organizers of the event, who told of Minnesota’s results from testing incoming tear-offs for asbestos. Virtually none was found except where expected in built-up roofing. He also outlined a plan to develop a sampling protocol for tear-offs.

James "Buzz" Surwilo, from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, reported on his state’s project, done in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, using tear-off shingles in roadwork. The shingles were processed and given to local municipalities to be used on local gravel roads for dust control. There were positive responses from municipalities, although the results were mixed, as some roads became too stiff as time passed.

Two speakers on specifications for the use of recycled shingles also addressed attendees. Roger Olson of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) presented new specifications in his state that can allow more recycled materials to be used in roadwork. Henry Justus, of Chesner Engineering, Commack, N.Y., presented the first draft of a proposed guideline specification for recycled shingles use in hot-mix asphalt.

C&D RECYCLER BOOSTS CIRCULATION

C&D Recycler magazine, a publication of the Recycling Today Media Group, Cleveland, has announced a 20 percent boost in the circulation of its bi-monthly magazine.

Effective in January 2003, the magazine’s circulation was increased by 20 percent, to 6,000, according to C&D Recycler sales manager Ed Gallo. He added that the increased circulation is focused on the demolition industry.

"During 2002 we performed an analysis to determine the size of the demolition industry throughout the U.S.," says Gallo. "Our studies revealed that there are some 3,747 demolition contractors in the U.S., with many of these being one- or two-person operations. We are capturing the higher end of the market and have extended our circulation to now reach 2,349 demolition contractors," he added.

Gallo also noted that many of the 2,370 C&D recyclers already on the magazine’s circulation list are also demolition contractors, "So we have built a circulation that provides market access to virtually the entire demolition industry."

The circulation boost has occurred in tandem with the launching of the www.cdrecycler.com Web site and the C&D Recycler Update e-newsletter. "Our Web site has seen its traffic increase by nearly 500 percent since the site was launched in December 2002," says Gallo. "Our site sponsors are currently receiving in excess of 5,000 advertising impressions monthly, providing tremendous value for their businesses."

Those seeking additional advertising information for C&D Recycler can contact Gallo at (678) 566-7841. Those who wish to subscribe to the print publication can contact the Recycling Today Media Group circulation department at (800) 456-0707, while those wishing to sign up for the e-newsletter can contact Dan Sandoval at dsandoval@cdrecycler.com.