Management of Construction & Demolition (C&D) Materials
Montgomery County’s Zero Waste Programs Division (ZWPD) is working to establish new initiatives to improve waste reduction, reclamation, reuse, and recycling of C&D materials. Reducing C&D waste, encouraging reclamation and reuse of C&D materials, and increasing C&D recycling are critical strategies to divert C&D from disposal and provide another significant opportunity to make progress toward achieving the County’s Zero Waste goals. By increasing reuse and recycling, builders, contractors, developers and property owners can help to conserve valuable resources, lessen environmental impacts, and reduce their disposal costs.
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Construction & Demolition (C&D) Overview
Across Montgomery County, construction and demolition activities, including site preparation, building and renovation projects, are underway to support commercial, multi-family and single-family development. These activities result in the generation of significant amounts of excess construction and demolition (C&D) materials at project sites.
Preliminary estimates indicate that there may be approximately 265,000 tons of C&D materials generated from projects in Montgomery County.
Materials commonly generated from construction and demolition include some materials which are mandated for recycling by Montgomery County Executive Regulation 1-15. The following is a list of common construction and demolition materials; those currently mandated for recycling are in bold:
- Appliances (Mandated for recycling if meets the definition of Scrap Metal)
- Asphalt
- Bricks
- Cabinets
- Cardboard (Mandated for recycling)
- Carpet and carpet padding
- Cinder blocks
- Concrete
- Countertops
- Dirt/soil
- Doors
- Drywall
- Flooring
- Insulation
- Lighting
- Metal pipes (Mandated for recycling as Scrap Metal)
- Plywood
- PVC pipes
- Rebar (Mandated for recycling as Scrap Metal)
- Rocks/stone
- Roofing materials
- Rubble
- Scrap metal (Mandated for recycling)
- Sheetrock
- Shingles
- Sinks and tubs
- Plumbing fixtures
- Tiles
- Windows
- Wiring
- Wood/wooden boards
Current Conditions
The majority of C&D waste is currently disposed of in the trash at the Montgomery County Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station or other private disposal facilities.
ZWPD is currently performing additional research and benchmarking to evaluate current conditions, barriers, and opportunities in establishing County policies to boost reclamation and recycling of C&D materials. As part of this effort, ZWPD is engaging with stakeholders to gain an understanding of a full range of perspectives pertaining to C&D.
ZWPD is currently conducting a pilot study focused on the C&D materials delivered to the County’s Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station and is segregating loads of those materials to determine the percentages that are concrete; clean wood; metal; and cardboard. In the future, a more rigorous composition study is planned to stratify the C&D materials into a more extensive variety of constituent categories.
Montgomery County’s Recycling Regulations
Montgomery County Executive Regulation 1-15 mandates recycling by single-family residents, multi-family property owners/managers and residents, as well as businesses, organizations and government facilities and their owners/managers and employees. Materials mandated for recycling in the County all have strong, stable markets and local and regional acceptance facilities that ensure these materials can be accepted for processing and recycling, and made into new useful products and items. The materials that must be recycled are:
- Aluminum Foil Items
- Cardboard
- Christmas Trees
- Glass Bottles, Jars
- Metal Cans (aluminum, steel, bi-metal)
- Mixed Paper
- Plastic Bottles, Tubs, Lids, Containers
- Scrap Metal Items (piping, sheet metal, rebar, fencing, metal furniture, appliances made of 50% metal)
- Yard Trim (grass, leaves, brush, landscape/garden prunings)
Anyone generating these materials must separate them from the trash, and must either hire a licensed recycling collector to pick up, maintain the separation and deliver them, or must self-haul and deliver them to a recycling facility. All recyclable materials must be processed and used to create new materials or products that are returned to the marketplace for a new use.
Construction and demolition projects generating any amount of these materials, including CARDBOARD and SCRAP METAL, MUST separate these items and materials from the waste stream, and deliver these recyclable materials to a recycling facility.
Failure to do so will result in County enforcement actions, including the issuance of Citations and levying of fines.
Technical Support and Assistance
The Waste Reduction and Recycling Section of ZWPD provides technical support, education, training and guidance to single-family residents, multi-family property owners, managers, and residents, as well as businesses, organizations, and government facilities and their owners, managers and employees. This support and assistance include conducting site visits to perform evaluations, and provision of tailored recommendations on how to begin, continue, improve and expand waste reduction, reuse, and recycling efforts. To request this individualized assistance from the Waste Reduction and Recycling Section staff, call MC311. From outside the County, dial 240- 777-0311. Maryland residents using TTY should call 7-1-1.
Montgomery County Resources for Reuse and Recycling of C&D Materials
Montgomery County’s SORRT Business Recycling Handbook includes a list of local C&D recyclers, along with preparation requirements and contact information. This handbook provides a tailored reference for businesses and contractors managing large C&D projects in the County.
Montgomery County’s Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Programs website includes a search tool, I want to recycle or dispose of..., that helps residents, businesses, and contractors understand how to properly manage an extensive variety of materials.
Through Montgomery County’s Don’t Dump. Donate! Program, building materials in usable condition are accepted for reuse at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. Check for details on the Don't Dump. Donate! Program website.
If you are a building material wholesaler or another group that has a large quantity of usable materials to donate, you may make special collection arrangements through the Loading Dock. Contact the Loading Dock online or at 410-558-DOCK (3625).
Other Recommended Resources for Reuse and Recycling of C&D Materials
For other reuse and recycling opportunities for building materials, check the Builders Recycling Guide, a directory for construction and demolition materials compiled by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. This resource provides a regional listing of companies across the DC Metro area that recycle or accept construction and demolition materials. This information is helpful for projects throughout the region that need specialized services not available locally.
For more assistance:
Contact the Zero Waste Programs Division by calling MC311. From outside the County dial 240-777-0311. Maryland residents using TTY should call 7-1-1.