Contractors emphasize construction waste management

A new survey of contractors reveals that managing construction waste is the second-most important green practice to these building pros. The report from McGraw Hill Construction, highlighted in a McGraw Hill press release, included these results:

• By 2013, McGraw-Hill Construction projects that the green building market will be up to 25 percent of all new construction starts by value, equating to a $140 billion market.
• 61 percent of contractors rate waste management plans as the second-most important aspect of green building, just behind energy efficiency.
• The United States generated 143.5 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris in 2008, but only 28 percent (40.2 million tons) was reused, recycled or sent to waste-to-energy facilities.
• The biggest drivers behind sustainable construction waste management practices include client demand (82 percent) and government regulations (81 percent). Competitive advantage (77 percent) and increases in education and awareness (75 percent) are also cited as major influencing factors.   

McGraw Hill is in the business of producing research-driven papers that it then offers for sale. But the company releases choice factoids from the research to whet the appetite of potential customers.