UNCC C&D program Overview
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is the 4th largest university
in the state system. Over the past six years, it has added over 600,000
gross square feet of building space to accommodate a rising student
population currently at 21,000 students. This increase in square footage is
a direct result of a successful bond-funded construction program. Prior to
the implementation of the Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management
strategy, our C&D recycling was a “hit or miss” program. We were
contractor-dependent with much of the waste never being sent to an approved
C&D landfill. Since the inception of this collaborative initiative, UNC
Charlotte has recycled and reused over 2.1 million pounds of material.
Additionally, in 2006, the C&D program has saved contractors $8,750 in
tipping fees and diverted over 700,000 pounds from landfill which represents
49% of all C&D material generated on campus.
Program History
UNC Charlotte has an award winning recycling program, spearheaded by the
Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling (OWR&R) within Facilities
Management. The OWR&R is constantly looking to recycle more materials
generated on campus, so it was a logical step to set up a program to recycle
construction and demolition waste generated on campus
The aim of the C&D recycling program was to develop a systematic program
which allows for continual improvement, key developments in the program were
and are:
Obtaining senior management support
Drawing up specifications for including in all construction project
documentation
Setting achievable goals
Training
Fostering cross departmental communications
Support county C&D recycling goals
Engaging the support of the local community.
Key Statistics
Analysis of the data has revealed the following:
C&D recycling has increased by 133%;
Since the inception of the program, we have recycled, reused and diverted
over 2.1 million pounds of material;
For the 2005-2006 Fiscal Year, over 700,000 pounds of C&D materials were
recycled (49% of all C&D material generated on campus);
We set and exceeded our goal that a minimum of 20% of all C&D waste
generated on campus was recycled in the first year. This goal was recently
increased to 35%; and
Contractors have saved $8,750 in tipping fees.
