Evolution of the demolition industry spurs dramatic change and expansion
By Michael R. Taylor, CAEIt’s common wisdom that it takes willingness to adapt to succeed in today’s highly competitive global economy. One industry which has experienced tremendous growth and dramatic change over the last 37 years is demolition. Images of unskilled, untrained laborers, and swinging wrecking balls can rightly be considered relics of the past. With the evolution of high-tech equipment, government regulations, computerization, and ongoing training, the profile of today’s demolition specialist has transformed strikingly since the founding of the National Demolition Association in 1972.
It’s an industry that has expanded its scope as more businesses are becoming vertically integrated. One of the biggest sectors of growth is in the area of demolition debris recycling. A recent study of the demolition industry found that demolition providers re-use or recycle approximately 75 percent of the more than 115 million tons of demolition debris generated annually. With technology for recycling advancing at a fast clip, recycling has become a profitable venture for demolition providers.
The study found that the top reasons demolition companies choose to perform a high percentage of recycling are that it is required by law and specifically required in many demolition contracts, and the fact that there are now more readily available markets for the recyclables found within the construction and demolition waste stream.
Regarding the states where demolition debris recycling is most likely to happen, California was found to have the greatest amount of recycling. Other top states include Florida and New Jersey. States also reporting a high percentage of recycling of demolition debris are Texas, Minnesota, Washington and Illinois. Materials at the top of the list of recycled demolition debris are, in order of magnitude, concrete, asphalt pavement, metals, brick/block and wood.
Brownfield redevelopment
The types of projects typically handled by demolition professionals are varied, but one in particular highlights the industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship. That is the area of brownfield redevelopment. A brownfield is an abandoned or unused property whose redevelopment may be complicated by the presence, or potential presence of a hazardous substance or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties takes development pressures off undeveloped, open land, and improves and protects the environment.
Government and industry are turning to demolition companies to handle this important work. A majority of the members of the National Demolition Association have expanded their service offerings beyond pure demolition to include various elements of site remediation. These blighted brownfield properties can require a wide variety of remediation services, such as the removal and disposal of asbestos, lead, mold, PCBs, and leaking or abandoned aboveground and underground storage tanks. Soil and groundwater remediation is often needed. Site owners and general contractors are finding it can be more cost-effective to assign the remediation portion of the brownfield redevelopment to a demolition contractor certified in environmental remediation than to engage an outside firm to handle the challenging and often liability-prone work.
This is because these companies can deliver an efficiency of scale in terms or manpower, equipment and insurance. They have an intimate knowledge of the myriad of evolving local, state and federal environmental and occupational health and safety regulations governing this type of demolition. As a result, the companies can usually tackle and complete a project with the quickest turnaround time, delivered at the lowest cost, with full regulatory compliance.
Vast membership
The National Demolition Association today represents a complex $4 billion industry that includes demolition contractors, but also general contractors, civil engineering firms, landfill operators, recyclers, industry suppliers, and others involved in the process. It is a dynamic organization which has grown from 60 companies in 1972 to one representing more than 1,100 companies in the U.S. and Canada that are involved in the demolition process. Membership accounts for close to 85 percent of the gross sales of the industry, since nearly all of the top-grossing demolition companies are Association members.
The association’s efforts help members stay abreast of environmental, regulatory and safety matters, keep regulators informed about issues facing the industry, increase public and industry awareness, and provide members with networking opportunities and information on the latest technical advances in equipment and services.
Recently, the association launched a completely revitalized and redesigned website, which serves as the portal for the industry, government regulators, the public, and the media to learn about the association’s mission to be leaders in environmental stewardship, safety, education, professional competency and government advocacy. It is now serving as the source of technical information for those involved in the industry and as well as a platform for discussing best practices of demolition.
In the years ahead, the demolition industry will continue to evolve and the National Demolition Association will continue to evolve with it, representing the interests of companies involved on the periphery of demolition, as well as those who view themselves first and foremost as demolition specialists.