The Austin, Texas, City Council has approved an ordinance that will require construction projects larger than 5,000 square feet to recycle or salvage at least 50% of the waste scraps starting October 1, 2016. A similar ordinance for demolition sites will go into effect in 2019.
Projects will be required to submit a report about the quantity of materials diverted and disposed. The city has estimated the ordinance could increase construction costs by 0.1% to 0.2%.
In 2020, the city will study how the ordinance is working and whether or not to increase the recycling requirement to 75% at that time and then up to 95% in 2030.
(more on the Austin, Texas, construction recycling ordinance...)
