Construction & Demolition (C&D) Recycling Rebate Program, Alameda County
Every year millions of tons of construction and demolition materials are unnecessarily disposed of in landfills throughout the country. Construction & Demolition (C&D) rebate programs provide a financial incentive for builders to recycle C&D debris.
Rebate programs can take many forms. Recognizing that source-separation is not always possible on building sites, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority designed this rebate program to encourage builders to haul their mixed-materials waste (wood, metals, etc) to designated material recovery facilities. The builder is given a $10 per ton discount on each ton delivered. Program funding is derived solely from collected waste disposal and waste import mitigation fees.
Alameda County established recovery facilities that were designed to handle mixed waste because they recognized that space and time limitations do not always allow for source separation of C&D materials. The rebate program was created to raise awareness and encourage participation by making the tipping fees at these facilities highly cost competitive. Often the tipping fees at recycling processors are cheaper than at landfills providing potential project cost savings. Regardless, contractors are encouraged to become familiar with the new protocols.
Incentive programs can be implemented on a temporary or permanent basis. In this example, the rebate was ended once the diversion program was established. The program is funded solely by landfill fees and is not dependent on general fund dollars.
Waste disposal sites for solid waste from human activities.Charged by a landfill for disposal of waste, typically quoted per ton.The collection, reprocessing, marketing, and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from the solid waste stream.
