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Green News Avoiding the landfill By Jolene T. Mudri or handling construction waste on a healthcare project, many methods exist. But what happens when that waste leaves a jobsite? Fortunately, several alternatives are available to reduce the amount of material sent to the landfill. Up-cycling is a process of converting used materials into new products for better environmental value and is an effective way to extend the life of a product with little to no energy or cost. Both up-cycling and recycling may also aid in minimizing off-gassing. To ensure every party is onboard to minimize waste, coordinating the efforts with the owner, client and design team early in the project is essential. Coordination meetings at the beginning of a construction project determine which materials are to be reused by the client, which will be up-cycled, recycled or sent to the landfill. Identifying firms that can support up-cycling and recycling goals is important. One such resource is ANEW (anewfound.org), whose mission is to unite social responsibility with environmental sustainability. ANEW goes to the project site and removes all F items capable of being upcycled, such as furniture, flooring, ceiling tiles and other related items. In return, the client is given a 100-percent guarantee that none of the items will be sent to a landfill. Many of the salvaged items go to nonprofit organizations that benefit on multiple levels from the contributions, including helping to lower capital expenses to allow their services to extend even further. This process also contributes to lower construction costs because most of the gutting of the construction site has been completed before the contractor is on the jobsite. The design team is also able to see the building structure and services that were once hidden behind ceiling tiles, which helps to avoid possible change orders that may extend the construction timeline. Many manufacturers offer a recycling program for their materials. Such programs help close the loop of raw extraction, manufacturing, use and disposal. An example is Interface, Inc.'s Mission Zero program that was established in 1994 with the goal of minimizing the company's environmental 12 Medical Construction & Design | January/February 2013 footprint, reducing their energy consumption, eliminating the use of petroleum and waste being sent to landfills, as well as increasing their usage of renewable energy. One major way Interface is meeting its goals is by recycling used carpeting. The company evaluates all of the carpet submitted in order to determine if it can be up-cycled to local nonprofits or recycled. In ad- Many manufacturers offer a recycling program for their materials. Such programs help close the loop of raw extraction, manufacturing, use and disposal. dition, recycling the carpet aids in producing materials for the day-to-day business of manufacturing Interface's new carpet. Each company has its own set of procedures for how the materials need to be evaluated, packaged and sent back to the manufacturing plant for recycling. Working with the design and construction team will facilitate the process of selecting the best methods for up-cycling and recycling to produce the best outcomes. Whether up-cycling or recycling, preventing material from heading to the landfill is the optimal option for a project, community and the environment. Jolene T. Mudri, LEED ID+C, is a senior Interior designer with Array-Architects. She may be reached at jmudri@ array-architects.com. www.mcdmag.com JOSEPH GOUGH/DREAMSTIME Up-cycling, recycling in healthcare design