AFCEE fills recycling bins with demolition debris

  • Published
  • By Robert Ginsberg
  • Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment is fully aware and engaged in supporting the Air Force with its recycling initiatives.

As stated in the Department of Defense Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan, the Air Force has established a goal to divert 60 percent of construction and demolition debris from its waste stream by fiscal 2015.

"AFCEE realizes that the demolition of existing structures and the construction of new ones can generate an exorbitant amount of solid waste," said Ben Kindt, acting AFCEE Capital Investment Execution Division deputy chief. "We continually analyze and refine our facility demolition process to address environmental concerns and better support the Air Force's waste management goals."

In support of this notion, AFCEE often leverages a "green" demolition process, commonly referred to as deconstruction.

"In the past, waste material produced from the demolition of structures was landfilled, in part because construction material was destroyed during the process and unable to be repurposed," said Scott Nickerson, acting AFCEE construction execution branch chief.
"Deconstruction involves a lot of planning and coordination upfront to properly survey the structure, noting any hazardous or toxic material and identifying material that can be recycled or reused."

AFCEE has managed several demolition and deconstruction projects recently, including the demolition of 492 military family housing units at Shaw AFB, S.C.

Completed in September, the project leveraged both traditional excavator practices and deconstruction practices to repurpose and recycle material. The demolition effort was deemed a huge success by the base project manager as it repurposed playground equipment, gazebos, a bus stop and street lamps. Over 80 percent of the more than 44,000 tons of material removed was recycled, including almost 34,000 tons of concrete, 95 tons of metals and 2,250 tons of asphalt.

"This was the most complex housing demolition project we've had and yet it was the smoothest, with no complaints," said Shaw project manager David Poythress.
Part of the project's complexity was maneuvering around occupied MFH units, which minimized the space available to execute demolition operations.

"AFCEE along with the contractor put a lot of effort into the planning of this demolition effort," said AFCEE project manager Robert Estrada. "Our main priority was to reduce the impact on and ensure the safety of the surrounding unit occupants during demolition. We were able to do this while completing the project on schedule and maximizing the material recycled."

At Grand Forks AFB, N.D., AFCEE engineers oversaw the demolition of 629 MFH units and garages. The $12.3-million project was part of a larger site restoration effort to reduce and consolidate underutilized space while repairing utilities, sewer systems and roadways in the remaining housing neighborhoods.

AFCEE and the contractor had to overcome many challenges during the demolition process.

"We experienced a host of unforeseen site conditions consisting primarily of unmarked utilities and some asbestos," said AFCEE project manager Tracy Kissler. "We also endured a much harsher winter and wetter than normal spring; clay soil doesn't work well in these conditions. In spite of all this, we remained focused and delivered top-notch (sustainment, restoration and modernization) solutions."

The project was executed with a focus on diverting as much salvageable material from the landfill as possible. Concrete, siding and asphalt were some of the materials recycled.

AFCEE will also be managing a $2million demolition project at Beale AFB, Calif., in the near future. Currently in the planning phases, the project will remove 100 MFH units and associated power poles deemed degraded beyond a maintainable standard.

Estrada, AFCEE's project manager for this project as well, plans to execute the project in a similar fashion as the Shaw demolition effort.

"Much like the demo project at Shaw, our challenge at Beale will be operating in tighter spaces as the units slated for demolition are spread out across the base's entire housing area," Estrada said. "Safety and reducing the impact on the surrounding unit occupants will again be our top priority."

As with all AFCEE demolition efforts, the contractor will repurpose or recycle the demolished materials to the greatest degree possible.

"It's become a status quo at AFCEE to maximize the material recycled and repurposed during our demolition efforts," Estrada said. "Our demolition capabilities provide the Air Force a means to eliminate the resource drain caused by excess, obsolete and under-utilized infrastructure, while directly supporting Air Force-wide recycling goals."