Waste and Recycling

Building Material Reuse Pilot Project Greenhouse Gas Quantification

Client: Metro, OR

Recycling or salvaging used goods avoids greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing the need for the production of new materials. In Spring 2009, Metro began a pilot project in which building materials were salvaged from a transfer station to be sold for reuse. The project lead, Lovett Deconstruction, salvaged reusable building materials from loads over a period of six weeks. In order to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions avoided as a result of the project, Cascadia used data on the salvaged materials to estimate the avoided emissions from landfilling and reducing the need for virgin materials. The information that we provided supplemented other project outcomes including tons diverted from the landfill and the resale value of key materials.

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Cascadia began to immediately overhaul the way Resource Venture services were marketed, delivered, and tracked; ultimately resulting in superior outcomes. Among the dramatic changes we noted were (1) an increased level of accountability; (2) a more strategic focus; and (3) service documentation that demonstrated a more effective and efficient program. In particular, Cascadia’s “targeting and tracking” database made it possible to focus on the biggest commercial resources users with the greatest potential for conservation, and then measure their progress over time. The program’s unique targeted approach is extremely cost-effective; Cascadia has helped reduce the City’s program costs from about $100/ton diverted in 2006 to about $45/ton in 2008.

- Phil Paschke, Seattle Public Utilities