Description
Construction and demolition (C&D) debris from King County capital projects can be reduced and reused through efforts to standardize C&D education, implement waste reduction practices, and support development of circular economies. King County will minimize disposal of C&D materials through a multi-pronged approach which includes design for disassembly, adaptive reuse, building salvage, building deconstruction, repair, and transitional storage options for reusable building materials, marketing of reusable building materials and more. County-owned projects will be required, via new code and/or policy adoption, to source-separate C&D materials, use recycled content, and deconstruct rather than demolish existing buildings and structures. The County will research and support circular economies for specific construction products and materials with reuse (over recycling and remanufacturing) as a priority. A key strategy will be to support well designed Extended Producer Responsibility programs.
King County will also provide standardized outreach and education on C&D reuse and recycling with an emphasis on reducing contamination of recyclable materials and diverting the materials that truly have available markets. A major focus will be on standardizing jobsite signage. Include education on designing for disassembly. Include education as part of the integrative process for contractors, site managers, etc. (e.g., require C&D at pre-construction meetings).