Construction and Demolition Recycling

Download and review this comprehensive set of resources to help you comply. 

1. Applicant Guide(PDF, 1MB) (read)
2. How to Comply: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide(PDF, 5MB) (review)
3. List of C&D Recycling & Reuse Facilities and Haulers(PDF, 335KB) (use to select haulers and facilities)
4. Print Ready Signage (post to waste containers onsite)
   1.  Waste stream signage(PDF, 30MB) - 8.5x11"
   2. Dumping deterrent signage(PDF, 2MB) - 8.5x11"
5. Flyer in English(PDF, 199KB) and Spanish(PDF, 200KB)

Before Project

Step 0. Review the Resources for Contractors. At a minimum read the Applicant Guide.

Step 1. Apply for your building or demolition permit via the city’s online permit system, eTRAKiT.

Step 2. Create your waste management plan in the online waste tracking platform, Green Halo. If you are creating an account in Green Halo for the first time, select the FREE plan. You do not need to pay for this service or upgrade to use any premium features. 

Step 3. Lakewood staff reviews waste management plan in Green Halo and notifies you of approval or missing information. Continue permit process in eTRAKiT.

Step 4. (If applicable) When permit is ready to issue, sign and submit the performance security deposit acknowledgement form in eTRAKiT and pay the deposit calculated for your project.

During Project

Step 5. Implement your C&D project in accordance with your approved waste management plan.

Step 6. Collect weight tickets for recycling, reuse, or disposal including receipts for material donation or resale and upload them to Green Halo throughout project.

After Project

Step 7. Upload any remaining weight tickets and receipts to waste management plan in Green Halo then submit for final review within sixty (60) days of permit closure. Failure to do so within this timeframe will result in a forfeited performance security deposit.

Step 8. Lakewood reviews completed waste management plan and, if applicable, determines refund based on your compliance with waste management plan.

Step 9. (If applicable) Receive performance security deposit refund within sixty (60) days of submission of waste management plan for final review.

For historic preservation

• 1 in 17 buildings has been demolished in the US from 1950-1980. Buildings are expensive to make - in time, money, raw materials, and environmental impact; they should not be made to be torn down prematurely but to be adaptable to different uses, environments, trends, and the test of time.
• Buildings which are preserved entirely or partially utilizing adaptive reuse tend to appreciate across their lifetime as they become known centerpieces in the community or in the case of a private residence, are valued higher due to their unique historic character and charm.

 Helps achieve regional waste diversion targets

• The Front Range has a waste diversion goal of 36% by 2026 and 51% by 2036. The current diversion rate across the Front Range is 16%, less than half of our established target. We have a lot of progress to make towards this goal and C&D presents the largest opportunity.
• In Colorado, nearly half (40%) of our waste stream is C&D debris (CDPHE, 2023).
• In just one year C&D debris accounted for more than twice (2x) the amount of municipal solid waste generated in the US (EPA, 2018).

Addresses the particularly wasteful practice of demolition

• One single family home demolished generates the equivalent of a single person's entire lifetime of waste.
• 90% of all C&D debris results from demolition and only 10% comes from construction.
• While sometimes demolition is necessary, it should not be the default.

Conserves Colorado’s limited landfill space

• There is limited landfill capacity in Colorado and new landfills are expensive to site, permit, develop, and maintain after the end of their life.
• The immense volume of C&D debris produced puts an unequal strain on the highly valuable space left in our existing Front Range landfills, many of which are nearing capacity.

Creates local jobs and strengthens the circular economy

• Recycling materials creates 9x as many jobs as landfilling and reusing materials, as with deconstruction instead of demolition, can create as many as 30x more jobs. These standards help create a circular economy and support green jobs in Colorado.
• Recycling and reuse also create a market of materials and commodities which can be recirculated into the economy instead of losing their value forever to a landfill.

Recycling and reuse can be more economical than demolition and disposal

• Depending on the material and facilities used, the cost to transport and landfill certain C&D debris can be higher than to recycle or salvage it.
• Property owners can claim tax deductions for donated goods. Hiring an appraiser and contractors trained in deconstruction will help you realize the maximum value of your materials.
• Deconstructed goods and materials can also be sold or given away on peer-to-peer marketplaces. Both options help avoid the cost of transporting and disposing of them.
• Using reclaimed or salvaged materials and structures onsite or in another project reduces the volume of new materials you need to purchase.

Combats climate change

• Sourcing reclaimed or recycled content provides energy and resource savings over virgin materials. For example:
  • Sourcing recycled aluminum provides 95% energy savings over virgin aluminum
  • Over a ton of raw materials are saved for every ton of recycled glass used.
  • Cement production for new concrete is responsible for 6%-9% of greenhouse gas emissions. Supplanting the need for new cement with recycled aggregates can reduce the emissions created by this industry.