Creative Reuse: C&D Waste Reduction Plan Results in High Diversion for City

Creative Reuse—Winter 1999

C&D Waste Reduction Plan Results in High Diversion for City

A 1960's vintage shopping center in Newark, California—known to many locals as the "World Tops" Center—was recently demolished to make room for a new housing development. Prior to the demolition, numerous city departments took advantage of this rare opportunity to conduct training exercises and maximize Newark's waste reduction efforts. Consultant Hilton Farnkopf & Hobson, LLC (HF&H) worked with the developer, the demolition contractor, and the city to create a site-specific waste reduction plan and ensure that emergency training goals were also met.

"From the start, we knew we had to look at this demolition project from a waste reduction standpoint," recalls Jim Reese, Newark's Community Development Director.

With construction and demolition (C&D) debris accounting for approximately 30 percent of the waste generated by most communities, Newark officials were aware that a demolition like World Tops could have a significant negative impact on the city’s diversion rate. The city contracted with HF&H to oversee the project and ensure that as much material as possible was diverted.

In the meantime, the city's police and Fire Departments were making plans of their own for the facility. "The World Tops Center is a great location for training exercises," explained an enthusiastic Jeff Zolfarelli, the city's fire chief. "It's not often that our firefighters have the opportunity to cut through walls and steel doors, break glass—all things you may be faced with in a real fire." Newark's acting police chief, Cliff Nannini, was equally eager to use the facility for training. "Our SWAT team can use the site to simulate hostage situations and other emergencies," he remarked. It's great to have this training tool right in our backyard."

It quickly became obvious that someone would have to manage this project in a coordinated manner. "We were concerned that the training exercises could do significant damage to the materials we were trying to recycle," recalls HF&H Associate, Shana Levy. HF&H arranged a meeting between the developer, the demolition contractor, a key recycler, and fire and police department representatives. Through a series of compromises, the parties walked away with a satisfactory agreement.

Waste reduction efforts from the recently completed demolition resulted in nearly 3,000 tons, or 72 percent of the site's concrete, wood, scrap metals and other materials not going to the landfill. In addition, all of the asphalt from the parking lot was ground and reused onsite, resulting in a total diversion figure of roughly 90 percent. A number of other demolitions are slated to occur within the City of Newark over the coming months, and the City hopes to use the World Tops project as a model for the other sites.

On a side note—during the demolition, twelve boxes of quality retail garment hangers were found in the back of one of the vacant stores. With the help of Sarah White of CalMAX and Shana Levy, a home was found for the hangers at Sally’s Second Debut, a consignment shop in Newark. As it turns out, the hangers are just the type Sally Nieto uses and normally purchases for $45 per box.

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Last updated: August 01, 2008