February 25, 2025
C&D materials constitute a significant waste stream in the United States. These various C&D materials can be diverted from disposal and managed into new productive uses.
EPA’s waste characterization report, the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet, estimates the C&D material generation and the mass quantities of the generated materials that were directed to next use or sent to landfills in the United States. C&D materials included in the report are steel, wood products, drywall and plaster, brick and clay tile, asphalt shingles, concrete, and asphalt concrete. The generation estimates represent C&D material amounts from construction, renovation and demolition activities for buildings, roads and bridges, and other structures. “Next use” designates an intended next-use market for a C&D material, which depending on the material, may include fuel, manufactured products, aggregate, compost and mulch or soil amendment. Estimates are based on publicly available data from government and industry organizations.
Additional Studies and Reports
The 2018 Fact Sheet shows:
Prior to adding C&D materials to the Advancing SMM Report, EPA examined the generation of C&D materials through separate studies. EPA estimated that 136 million tons of building-related C&D materials were generated in the United States in 1996. By 2003, almost 170 million tons of building-related C&D materials were generated. In 2003, nonresidential sources accounted for 61 percent of that amount. The largest building sector that generated C&D materials was nonresidential demolition followed by the residential renovation.
