March 2, 2015

City of Seattle phasing in new waste disposal rules for construction and demolition projects

By Sarah Washburn

According to Seattle Public Utilities, construction and demolition (C&D) related materials account for approximately 28 percent of all waste disposed in Seattle.  C&D materials consist of debris from building, remodeling or demolishing a building or from heavy industrial projects such as road construction.  The City recently adopted new recycling requirements for C&D materials through landfill disposal bans, facility certification and waste diversion reporting.  An overview of the new requirements is available here.  In sum, Seattle Public Utilities is tasked with helping the City reach its goal of recycling 70 percent of C&D waste by 2020.  In this capacity, Seattle Public Utilities will certify the recycling levels at mixed-waste recycling facilities that receive and process C&D waste; require that building permit-holders for new construction or demolition projects file waste-diversion reports to show compliance; phase in disposal bans for certain materials such as concrete, bricks, metal, and wood; and implement education programs to inform owners and contractors about the recycling requirements.