Construction and Demolition Waste Management

If your project includes demolition or alterations of more than 750 square feet or $75,000, a Salvage Assessment is required.

When demolishing a whole building, contact a salvage expert through the Northwest Building Salvage Network, a deconstruction company, or a demolition company familiar with salvage retail.

Complete a Salvage Assessment online. For questions on how to complete it, review the Salvage Assessment FAQs.

If materials are identified for salvage, allow time to salvage before construction or demolition starts.

Deconstruction can be used in most wood frame and some metal-frame buildings instead of demolition.

For more information, see Tip 337 Demolition and Deconstruction and view the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections Residential Deconstruction site.

Include a deconstruction specification in your bid package. Section 024293 (pdf) specifies deconstruction and removal of selected portions of or an entire building for salvage.
 
Know the Requirements for Demolition Notification and Dust Control

See Asbestos and Demolition Notifications
See Dust Control for demolition

Arrange for Disposal and Recycling

Waste generated from construction and demolition projects in Seattle can be disposed at the following facilities:

• City of Seattle North Transfer Station at 1350 N 34th Street, Seattle 98103
• City of Seattle South Transfer Station at 130 South Kenyon Street, Seattle 98108
• Republic's Black River Transfer Station, 501 Monster Rd SW, Renton, WA 98057
• Waste Management's Alaska Street Reload Facility at 70 S. Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98134
• Waste Management’s Eastmont Transfer Station at 7201 W Marginal Way SW, Seattle 98108

Contractors can haul waste material themselves. If a hauler is engaged to do collection, see rules about Third-Party Hauling.

Recycling facilities are listed on the Qualified Facilities page under Mixed-Waste Recyclers and Disposal Facilities.

Recycle Targeted Materials

The following materials are banned from disposal in Seattle:

• Asphalt Paving, Bricks, and Concrete
• Metal
• Cardboard
• New Construction Gypsum Scrap
• Unpainted and Untreated Wood

The disposal bans do not include materials that are:

• painted,
• have hazardous constituents,
• difficult to separate from others (such as wood or foam block adhering to concrete), or
• present in very small quantities.

If the above materials are separated at the jobsite, find a recycler that can accept them on King County’s What do I do with…? Website.

If the above materials are mixed together or mixed with waste, they must go to a Qualified Facility.

Track Waste and Recycling to fill out Waste Diversion Report

Upon project completion all demolition projects and all new construction and alteration projects with a value of $75,000 or greater must submit a Waste Diversion Report to SPU.

Fill out the Waste Diversion Report online. For questions on how to complete it, review the Waste Diversion Report FAQs.

Check the records for accuracy before submitting. Once the report is submitted, it cannot be retrieved for editing. A confirmation email will be sent to you indicating that the report for your project has been received with a summary of the report details.

View the reference summary of waste diversion report choices (pdf) to assist you with material types, diversion methods, units of measure, hauling companies and receiving facilities.

If you have further questions after reviewing the FAQs linked above, please send them to WasteDiversionReport@seattle.gov or contact Katie Kennedy at (206) 386-9772.

The Waste Diversion Report (WDR) identifies where project construction and demolition materials were delivered for reuse (on-site), salvage (off-site), recycling and landfill disposal. The report is required of all demolition projects and all new construction and remodeling projects that are $75,000 in value or more that received a Seattle Department of Construction & Inspection (SDCI) Building Permit after January 1, 2014. It must be submitted within 60 days of a project’s Final Inspection Approval date.
 
Seattle Municipal Code 21.36.089 directs Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) to set up a process for the submission of construction waste diversion reports. This is detailed in SPU Director’s Rule SW-405.2 Rev 1 (pdf).

Information required for the Waste Diversion Report (WDR) form

You will initially be asked:

• Permit Number for the project
• If an asbestos abatement was performed
• Estimate of Project square footage (optional)
• Building Permit Applicant’s Name and Contact Information

You will then be asked about what happened to construction waste materials. You will need to have access to the weight slips or receipts from receiving reuse, recycling or disposal facilities used by you or your contractors during the project.

The WDR form questions pertain to:

• Descriptions of the materials. Select from a list of report choices for Material Types or type a description.
• Diversion method. Choose from Reuse on Site, Salvage off Site, Recycle Source Separated, Recycle Commingled or Disposal.
• Quantities of material. Enter tons, pounds, cubic yards or # of items for salvage or reuse on site
• If the load was hauled by your company (self-haul) or by a third-party hauler.
• The names of third-party hauling companies if used.
• The names of receiving facilities for reuse, recycling and disposal.

Weight tickets need to be kept for at least a month after submittal of a project waste diversion report. Photographs of reuse activities for materials reused on the construction site are acceptable forms of documentation.

SPU may randomly audit the Waste Diversion Reports to see if they are:

• Submitted within the allowable time period post final inspection approval
• If they are complete
• If construction materials were delivered to qualified receiving and recycling facilities in compliance with the city's disposal bans and other criteria

Audits may take place within 30 business days of their submittal or in the case of non-submittals within 30 business days of when a report should have been submitted.

A civil fine of $250 plus statuary assessments may be applied if a waste diversion report is not submitted.