Transcript:
Three years ago, an office building and jail in Martinez, California, were demolished to make way for a new county building and plaza, which opened last year. But vestiges of the old buildings remain.
Contractors salvaged marble for use in the new lobby. They repurposed granite blocks as outdoor benches. And they used demolition rubble as backfill around the new building.
The goal was to reuse as much material as possible to reduce construction waste.
Rosa: “The construction sector is one of the sectors generating the most waste right now.”
Gabriele Rosa is with All About Waste, a consulting firm that advised on the project.
She says manufacturing concrete, steel, and other building materials creates a lot of carbon pollution, which warms the climate.
So reusing material reduces the pollution caused by new construction.
The workers at the Martinez project also separated and sorted wood, metal, and drywall so they could be recycled and reused in other projects and products.
Rosa: “We were able to divert 95% of all the construction waste that was generated.”
So the project is an example of how the building industry can reduce its climate impact.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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