Letters

In an interview with Peter Davoren (January '08, p. 84), BD+C asked, “Why isn't AGC being more aggressive on construction waste diversion from landfill?”

AGC is doing a lot on recycling. AGC is focused on facilitating members' efforts to recycle construction and demolition debris. This is a goal in the Environmental Agenda that we released in 2006. Recycling also is a focus of our partnership with the U.S. EPA under the Sector Strategies Program, which AGC entered in 2003.

AGC is working with EPA's Office of Solid Waste under the Resource Conservation Challenge to develop a white paper on recycling and a toolkit for members that will provide case studies and tools for tracking waste generation and recycling efforts. This effort is the product of meetings we have had over several years with EPA on ways to support recycling efforts and identify and address the barriers to recycling, such as the lack of readily available markets for those materials and the expense of transporting debris to recycling facilities.

AGC has published a brochure, Recycle This, and several case studies, along with links to recycling resources (available at: www.agc.org). AGC has worked with the EPA to develop and promote the online Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center, which provides recycling information and resources. The 2004 AGC's Constructing an Environmental Management System guidebook highlights recycling debris as one of the environmental impacts contractors could focus on improving with an EMS.

Melinda L. Tomaino, LEED AP

Associate Director, Environmental Service

Associated General Contractors of America

Arlington, Va.