PHOENIX, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), released its latest SmartMarket Report, Sustainable Construction Waste Management: Creating Value in the Built Environment, which reveals that 61% of contractors rate waste management plans as the second most important aspect of green building, just behind energy efficiency. The study was produced with support from Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM), the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America.
The U.S. generated 143.5 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris in 2008, but only 28% (40.2 million tons) was reused, recycled or sent to waste-to-energy facilities(1). The study shows that contractors recognize the substantial impact that sustainable construction waste management can have on their businesses, and a growing number are adopting practices to reduce contributions to landfills.
While total construction starts are expected to fall another 25% in 2009, green building has grown dramatically in recent years and is expected to continue its upward trend. By 2013, McGraw-Hill Construction projects that the green building market will be up to 25% of all new construction starts by value, equating to a $140 billion market. This rapidly growing green share of the building market presents extensive market opportunities for green building aspects like waste management.
"Green building presents a huge market opportunity for construction firms," said Harvey Bernstein, vice president of global thought leadership and business development, McGraw-Hill Construction. "This report analyzes an important contributor to a successful green building plan: sustainable construction waste management. Firms at the forefront of the green movement are actively looking for ways to reduce, recycle and reuse materials -- actions that lead to decreased costs, improved client satisfaction, and compliance with growing government regulations."
"An increasing number of construction companies and their customers are seeking innovative and integrated project designs to waste management and environmental solutions from the design phase to construction and ultimately to occupancy and facility management," said Jim Halter, vice president for Construction Solutions, Waste Management. "Customer demands and regulatory pressures are driving change -- improving diversion and recycling rates and repurposing construction and demolition into other products. We are excited to share the results of this study to shed light on the behaviors, opinions and trends around sustainable waste management."
Highlights from the Sustainable Construction Waste Management SmartMarket Report include:
- Most contractors place sustainable waste management (61%) and responsible use of materials and resources (57%) as two of the three most important aspects of green building, behind energy efficiency. This importance is expected to increase in five years to 80% and 78%, respectively.
- Waste diversion activity is increasing despite the recession; 20% of firms are diverting half of their construction waste on 60% or more of projects, and 25% of firms expect to do so within the next year.
- The biggest drivers behind sustainable construction waste management practices include client demand (82%) and government regulations (81%). Competitive advantage (77%) and increases in education and awareness (75%) are also cited as major influencing factors.
- Already, 57% of contractors have set sustainability positions and diversion goals, and 43% plan to divert more than 50% of waste from projects this year.
For more information or to download the report, visit http://construction.ecnext.com/coms2/analyticshttp://construction.com/market_research/ or stop by McGraw-Hill Construction's booth #1140 and Waste Management's booth #2148 at Greenbuild, Nov. 10-12, 2009, in Phoenix, AZ.
About McGraw-Hill Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction connects people, projects and products across the design and construction industry. For more than a century, the Company has remained North America's leading provider of construction project information, plans and specifications, product information, industry news, and industry trends and forecasts. In print and online, the Company offers a variety of tools, applications, and resources that easily integrate with its customers' workflows. Backed by the power of Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record, GreenSource, and 10 regional publications, McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers within the $5.6 trillion global construction community. To learn more, visit www.construction.com or follow @mhconstruction on Twitter.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.
(1) Waste Market Overview & Outlook 2009, Waste Business Journal, San Diego, CA, www.wastebusinessjournal.com.
SOURCE McGraw-Hill Construction
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