Page 639 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

CAT3525_C21.qxd 1/27/2005 12:56 PM Page 610
610 Waste Management Practices: Municipal, Hazardous, and Industrial

FIGURE 21.1 C&D debris results from construction, demolition, and renovation of residential and nonresi-
dential structures.

Construction debris from building sites commonly consists of scraps of construction materials
such as wood, sheetrock, masonry, and roofing materials. There is comparatively less concrete in
construction debris than demolition debris. Scrap from residential construction sites represents
between 6 and 8% of the total weight of the building materials delivered to the site, excluding the
foundation, concrete floors, driveways, and patios (Franklin Associates, 1998). A comparison of the
composition of construction debris vs. demolition debris is provided in Figure 21.3.
When buildings are demolished, large quantities of waste may be produced in a short period of
time. Demolition techniques include imploding a structure with explosives, using a crane and
wrecking ball technique, or deconstructing. A majority of demolition projects use a combination of