Shower and restroom dividers/partitions are
made of 20 to 100 percent recovered plastic or

steel. They are used to separate individual shower,
toilet, and urinal compartments in commercial and

institutional facilities. The recycled content
dividers/partitions require less maintenance and
are long-lasting.

In the spring of 1997, King County, Washington,
hit a home run by using 100 percent repro-
cessed latex paint in the administrative offices
of the Kingdome, home of the Seattle Mariners.
Averaging $7.50 per gallon, the reprocessed
paint was not only less expensive than its vir-
gin counterpart, but it covered just as well,
according to stadium administration.

In addition, the King County Solid Waste
Division continues to test new reprocessed
latex paints for use at county parks and munic-
ipal buildings. In the past few years, the county
has used between 100 and 150 gallons of repro-
cessed latex paint, primarily in remodeling
efforts in the county. The county also works to
ensure recovery of all unused paint through a

' well-established household hazardous waste
collection program and industrial materials
exchange, diverting usable paints and paint
products to citizens, schools, and businesses
that can reuse the materials. For more informa-
tion, contact Karen Hamilton of King County at
206 296-4317.

CASE STUDY: High Cliff §

Menasha, Wisconsin

« High Cliff State Park in Menasha, Wisconsin,

~ has used recovered content plastic dividers in

- all its restroom facilities for 4 years. Although

“the initial cost of the dividers was higher than

those used in the past, the park saved money in
reduced maintenance and repair costs. Park
officials are extremely pleased with the quality
and performance of the product, having experi-
enced no rusting, corrosion, repainting, or graf-
fiti problems since installing the new dividers.

‘For more information, contact Fran Dietzan of
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ~

“at 920 989-1404.

As the major supplier of reprocessed paint to

- government agencies, the U.S. General Services

¢ Administration’s (GSA’s) Paint and Chemical

Commodity Center takes its environmental

* commitment seriously. In 1996, the agency

- painted its regional administrator’s office in
Seattle, Washington, with the recovered paint it
sells. The recovered paint reportedly has pro-

~ vided excellent coverage and durability. The

“agency will build on the success of this project

by painting a number of other GSA offices and

facilities with recovered content latex paint

during 1997. For more information, contact

~-Janice Douglas of GSA at 206 931-7081.



Get Moré In: nation? (Continwed)

Internet Sites

+ Environmental Building News:

http://www.ebuild.com/. This site is the online

version of Environmental Building News, the

leading periodical on environmentally sustain-
able design and construction. It contains articles, reviews, and
news stories on energy-efficient, resource-efficient, and
healthy building practices.

+ Green Building Source: http://oikos.com. This site contains
a catalog of books, videos, and software for sustainable con-
struction; a searchable database of companies that feature
environmentally friendly products; and links to other green
building sites.

King County Recycled Product Procurement Program:
hittp://www.metroke.gov/oppis/recyclea.html. This site
describes the tools and techniques developed by King County,
Washington, agencies for purchasing recycled products.

2

SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW. (5306W)
Washington, DC 20460

Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300

“ The Procurement Assistance Jumpstation:
http://www.fedmarket.com/procinet.html. This site contains
links to many sites containing procurement information.

“ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Through Procurement:
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/procure.htm. This
site describes EPA's effort to facilitate the procurement of
products containing recovered materials, including information
on CPG, RMANs, and the Buy Recycled Series.

Sustainable Building Sources:
http:/Awww.greenbuilder.com/general/buildingsources.html.
This site contains green building news articles, conference
announcements, links to other green building sites, and the
Sustainable Building Sourcebook.

In addition, contact your state solid waste
management agency for information about local and
regional businesses that produce or distribute
recycled-content products.



"Recycled-Conitent Construction

San EE

Fiberglass Insulation

Myth: Fiberglass insulation made with recovered
glass is less effective than that made with
virgin materials.

Properly processed recycled-content fiber-
glass insulation offers the same “R” value
(thermal protection) as insulation made
entirely from virgin stock.

Finishing Touches—
Carpeting, Floor Tiles,
Patio Blocks, Latex Paint, and

Shower and Restroom
Dividers/Partitions

looring, shower and restroom dividers/parti-

tions, and paint are some of the last items to

go into a new building. Recycled fiber
polyester carpet is manufactured from recycled
soda bottles. It typically wears better than carpets
made with virgin polyester because the standards
for food grade plastics are more rigorous than those
for virgin carpet fiber plastics.

You should specify resilient floor tiles made
from recycled rubber or recovered plastic when
surfacing floors in areas where grease, tar, snow,
ice, moisture, or similar substances are likely to be
present (e.g., raised, open-web tiles for drainage in
school kitchen flooring). You can purchase floor
tiles containing up to 100 percent postconsumer
rubber made mostly from high-grade truck and air-
line tires.

Patio blocks made from recovered rubber and
plastic are used in garden walkways and trails.

Patio blocks containing 90 to 100 percent postcon-
sumer rubber, plastic, or rubber or plastic blends
have been proven to work well.

Reprocessed and consolidated latex paints,
which are comprised of up to 100 percent recov-
ered material, can be used for many interior and
exterior architectural applications. Reprocessed
paint is suitable for both interior and exterior
applications, while consolidated paint is typically
used for exterior applications and as undercoat.
These paints have been demonstrated to perform as
well as virgin paint.

In 1993 when President Clinton issued
Executive Order 12873 on federal purchasing
of recycled products, the purchasing depart-

. ment of the Naval Security Group (NSG) in
Chesapeake, Virginia, enthusiastically accepted

- his challenge. When they needed carpet, the
NSG conducted research to see whether recy-
cled-content carpet could meet their perfor-
mance needs. They visited a church that had
installed polyester carpet made from recycled
soda bottles 3 years earlier. Officials were so

> impressed by what they saw that they now buy

_all their carpets with 100 percent postcon-

~ sumer'plastic. They are satisfied with the car-
pets’ performance in hallways, officers’
quarters, and office spaces. For more informa-
tion, contact Diane Broadway of NSG at.
804 421-8000.



Information Available
From EPA

This fact sheet and the following publications on
buying recycled products are available in elec-
it On tne Internet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/
non-inw procure.htm. Use Internet e-mail to order paper copies

. include the requestor's name and mailing address
dress e-mail to: rcra-docket@epamail.epa.gov.
i wing Federal Register notices can be found at
¥¥é.epa.gov.fedrgstr/search.htm. Search by specific
«48, or by accessing the Government Printing

$s within the Washington Metropolitan Area must
2-9810 or TDD 703 412-3323 (hearing impaired).
stance callers may call 800 424-9346 or TDD 800 553-
RCRA Hotline operates weekdays, from 9:00 a.m. to
EST
ster (FR) notices promulgating CPG | (60 FR
-2-35-006), May 1, 1995, and RMAN | (60 FR
30-2-95-007), May 1, 1995. Federal Register notices
CPG Il (62 FR 60961/EPAS30-Z-97-009) and
441.032 FR 60975/EPA530-Z-97-010), November 13, 1997.
EPA issues Comprehensive Procurement Guideline
95-010). This 4-page fact sheet provides general
ion about the CPG and the development of affirmative
s/2eurement programs.
+ Environmental Fact Sheet—EPA Guideline for Purchasing
t and Concrete Containing Fly Ash (EPA530-SW-91-
age fact sheet provides general information
mixed with coal fly ash.

“» Construction Products Containing Recovered Materials
EPA: 3-97-014). This list identifies sources of construction
containing recovered materials.

eA a Study of State and Local Government Procurement
Practices that Consider Environmental Performance of
Goods and Services (EPA742-R-96-007). This report pro-
s#eoitant program elements and case studies of state
y agencies purchasing environmentally preferable
nd ces. For a copy of the report or more infor-
FAs Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
ne Pollution Prevention Information
it 401 M Street, SW. (7409), Washington, DC
Pirone: 202 260-1023, Fax: 202 260-4659. Visit the
EPP homepage at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/p2home.

10

*

+

Environmental Building News. This monthly newsletter on

Other Sources of
Information

~ The American Association of State Highway

and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). AASH-
TO publishes concrete and cement-mixing specifications, which
are listed in this fact sheet and in RMAN I. Contact: AASHTO,
444 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 249, Washington, DC 20001.
Phone: 202 624-5800. Fax: 202 624-5806. The Publications
Sales Office’s mailing address is P.O. Box 96716, Washington,
DC 20090-6716. Phone: 888 227-4860. Fax: 800 525-5562.

American Concrete Institute (ACI). ACI publishes a standard
for concrete containing GGBF slag and offers several relevant
publications. Contact: ACI, P.O. Box 9094, Farmington Hills,
MI 48333. Phone: 248 848-3700.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM
publishes standards for mixing cement and concrete. Contact:
ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA
19428-2959. Phone: 610 832-9585. Fax: 610 832-9555.
Homepage: http:/www.astm.org.

Buy Recycled Business Alliance. The Alliance includes over
3,200 companies and organizations committed to increasing
their use of recycled-content products and materials in their
day-to-day operations. The Alliance offers educational materi-
als, a quarterly newsletter, and product-specific guides.
Publications include factsheets on insulation and coal fly ash,
and Building for Tomorrow: Buy Recycled Guidebook for the
Commercial Construction Industry. Public purchasing entities
can join free of charge. For more information, contact Bonnie
Fedchock, National Recycling Coalition, 1727 King Street,
Suite 105, Alexandria, VA 22314-2720. Phone: 703 683-9025,
Ext, 209. Fax: 703 683-9026.

Directory of Recycled-Content Building and Construction
Products. This regional directory includes 500 construction
and building products manufactured partially or totally from
recycled materials. Contact: Clean Washington Center, First
Interstate Center, 999 Third Avenue, Suite 1060, Seattle, WA
98104. Free to Washington residents, $20 for others.

Phone: 206 464-7040. Fax: 206 464-6902. Homepage:
htip://www.cwc.org.

environmentally responsible design and construction includes
articles on new products and materials, technologies, and con-
struction methods. Contact: RR 1, Box 161, Brattleboro, VT
05301. Phone: 802 257-7300. Fax: 802 257-7304. Homepage:
http:/(www.ebuild.com.



United States Solid Waste EPA530-F-97-035
Environmental Protection and Emergency Response November 1997
Agency (5306W) hitp://www.epa.gov

1997 Buy-Recycled Series
Construction Products

RT 4
‘

hether you're laying a founda- ONSTRUCTION
tion or choosing the right color :
of paint, get your project off

the ground with quality recycled products!

More and more construction project man-

agers are learning what the U.S. Army and

U.S. Navy already know—recycled building

products are cost-effective, reliable, and easy to obtain, helping you

finish your job on time and under budget.

To make it easier to buy recycled, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) updates the Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines (CPG) each year. Through the CPG, EPA designates
items that must contain recycled content when purchased by feder-
al, state, and local agencies or by government contractors using
appropriated federal funds. Among these items, EPA has designated
several construction products, ranging from carpet made from soda
bottles to insulation made from yesterday’s newspaper. EPA’s
research shows that the items designated in the CPG are of high
quality, widely available, and cost-competitive with virgin products.
EPA also issues a non-regulatory companion piece—the Recovered
Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN)—that recommends levels of
recycled content for these items.

From small jobs to major projects, recovered-content building
materials are the way to go. Whether it’s floors, walls, or bathroom
stalls, you can make each job a success with recycled products!

& Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.



* Environmental Resource Guide. Published by the American
Institute of Architects (AIA), this 1,100-page guide presents
comprehensive lifecycle information on building materials and
applications, including products and recyclability. Contact AIA
at 1735 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20006-5292.
Phone: 800 225-5945. Price: $195 ($175 for members).
Homepage: http://www.aia.org.

’

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). With assistance
from the American Coal Ash Association, Inc., FHWA pub-
lished Fly Ash Facts for Highway Engineers (FHWA-SA-94-
081), August 1995. It also maintains a database of state
specifications for using coal fly ash and GGBF slag. Contact:
Gary Craword, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: 202 366-1286.

General Services Administration (GSA). GSA’s
Environmental Products Guide catalogs environmentally
preferable products and services available through the Federal
Supply Service. Copies of Carpet, Carpet Tiles, and Carpet
Cushion, Multiple Award Schedule FSS72-I-A are also avail-
able. Contact GSA, Centralized Mailing List Service (7CAFL),
4900 Hemphill Street, P.O. Box 6477, Fort Worth, TX 76115-
9939. Phone: 817 334-5215. Fax: 817 334-5227. GSA also
offers recycled content paint through requisition and process-
ing. For more information on how to purchase this product,
contact the GSA Paint and Chemical Commodity Center at
800 241-7246. You can also access GSA Advantagel; GSA’s
Internet-based online ordering system, to order any GSA prod-
uct at https://www.fss.gsa.gov/egi-bins/advwel.

Greening the Government: A Guide to Implementing
Executive Order 12873. This publication explains how
Executive Order 12873 changes federal purchasing. It
includes case studies and resources for purchasing a. variety
of products containing recovered materials. Updated in the
summer of 1997, it is available from the Office of the Federal
Environmental Executive, 401 M Street, SW. (Mail Code
1600), Washington, DC 20460. Phone: 202 260-1297.

Fax: 202 401-9503. Homepage: http://www.ofee.gov.

Guide to Recycled Products: Building and Construction.
This guide is published by Metro, a regional government agen-
cy serving the Portland, Oregon, area, but may be useful for
procurement officials in other areas of the country. It is
designed to help locate hundreds of recycled-content building
Products. Contact: Metro, 600 NE. Grand Avenue, Portland,
OR 97232. Phone: 503 234-3000. Fax: 503 797-1795,

*

e

+

+ A Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements. In addi-
tion to tips on efficient design and job-site recycling, this guide
lists several manufacturers that make products using recov-
ered materials. Contact: Center for Resourceful Building
Technology, P.O. Box 100, Missoula, MT 59806.

Phone: 406 549-7678. Fax: 406 549-4100.

+ The Harris Directory of Recycling and Pollution Preventing
Materials for Home, Office, and Garden. This computer
database for Macintosh and Windows lists construction prod-
ucts made with recovered materials. Users can search for top-
ics using either a key word search or by consulting an
accompanying 24-page handbook. Contact B.J. Harris, 522
Acequia Madre, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone: 505 995-0337.
Fax: 505 920-1180.

National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP).
NIGP maintains a library of product specifications and sample
bid documents for both virgin- and recycled-content products,
including concrete. It also offers procurement training work-
shops for members. For more information, contact Fuad Abu-
Taleb, 11800 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 22091.

Phone: 703 715-9400, Ext. 241. Fax: 703 715-9897.

* Official Recycled Products Guide. This directory lists more
than 5,000 manufacturers and distributors of recycled-content
products, including those of structural fiberboard, paperboard,
insulation, carpeting, floor tiles, patio blocks, latex paint, and
shower and restroom dividers. Contact: Recycling Data
Management Corporation, P.O. Box 577, Ogdensburg, NY
13669. Phone: 800 267-0707. Fax: 315 471-3258.

* Recycled Plastic Products Source Book. This booklet lists
more than 1,300 plastic products from approximately 300 man-
ufacturers, including carpeting, insulation, floor tiles and show-
er and restroom dividers. For more information, call the
American Plastics Council (APC), 1801 K Street, NW., Suite
7010, Washington, DC 20006. Phone: 202 974-5400. Fax: 202
296-7119. Visit the APC homepage at:
http://www.plasticsresource.com.

* Resource Guide to Recycled Construction Products, This
recycled construction products list is available from the Los
Angeles Integrated Solid Waste Management Office, 433
South Spring Street, Fifth Floor, Los Angeles, CA.

Phone: 213 847-1444. ‘

+

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Corps has
specifications for cement containing coal fly ash. Contact Greg
Hughes, USACE, 20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20314. Phone: 202 761-4140.

Fax: 202 761-4139. Homepage: hittp://www.usace.army.mil.


The CPG
requires
federal

agencies to

buy items
made from
recovered
materials.

ecycling is more than just drop-

ping off your cans, bottles, and

mewspapers at the curb or at a
local collection facility. Diverting recy-
clables from the waste stream is only
the first step in the recycling process.
The second step occurs when compa-
nies use these recyclables to manufac-
ture new products. The third step
comes when you purchase products
made from recovered materials. That’s
how we close the loop.

To encourage the purchase of recy-
cled products, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
requires agencies to buy recycled prod-
ucts. In addition, President Clinton
signed Executive Order 12873 in
October 1993, which called for an
increase in the federal government’s use
of recycled-content products. Developed
in response to these directives, the CPG
requires federal agencies to give prefer-
ence to EPA-designated items made with
recovered materials. This, in turn, sup-
ports recycling markets and allows recy-
cling to continue to expand.

Issued in May 1995, the first CPG
designated 19 new products and incor-
porated 5 previously designated items
(including insulation and cement and
concrete containing coal fly ash) in 7
product categories that procuring agen-
cies are required to purchase with
recycled content. (A procuring agency
is any federal, state, or local agency or
government contractor that uses

2

appropriated federal funds to purchase
products.) A CPG update (CPG II) was
published in November 1997, and des-
ignated an additional 12 items, includ.
ing shower and restroom dividers/
partitions and reprocessed and consol-
idated latex paint in specific applica-
tions.

If your agency spends more than
$10,000 per year on a product desig-
nated in the CPG, you are required to
purchase it with the highest recycled-
content level practicable. The CPG also
applies to lease contracts covering des-
ignated items.

By May 1, 1996, your agency was
required to develop an affirmative pro-
curement program (or modify its exist-
ing program) to incorporate buy-
zecycled requirements for construction
board, thermal insulation, floor tiles,
and carpeting products. It is not too late
to develop your affirmative procurement
program if you have not already done
so. This effort might involve reviewing
your specifications for these products
and eliminating provisions that might
pose barriers to procuring them with
recycled content (such as aesthetic
requirements unrelated to product per-
formance). Your agency also must revise
its affirmative procurement program to
add the newly designated items—repro-
cessed and consolidated paint in specif-
ic applications and shower and
restroom dividers/partitions—by
November 13, 1998.



The CPG acknowledges, however, that specific
circumstances might arise that preclude the pur-
chase of products made with recovered materials.
You may purchase designated items that do not
contain recovered materials if you determine that:
(1) the price of a given designated item made with

recovered materials is unreasonably high, (2) there
is inadequate competition (not enough sources of
supply), (3) unusual and unreasonable delays
would result from obtaining the item, or (4) it does
not meet your agency’s reasonable performance
specifications.

Before purchasing construction products con-
taining recovered materials, you may need to
review certain key terms.

* Coal fly ash: Coal fly ash is a by-product of
coal burning at electric utility plants. It is
called “fly” ash because it is transported from
the combustion chamber by exhaust gases.

Ground granulated blast furnace (GGBF) slag:
Blast furnace slag is a by-product of iron blast
furnaces. The slag is ground into granules finer
than portland cement and can be used as an
ingredient in concrete.

* Rock wool: This composition of fibers manu-
factured from slag or natural rock is used in
building insulation.

* Structural fiberboard: This is a panel made
from wood, cane, or paper fibers matted
together and used for sheathing, structural,
and insulating purposes. -

¢ Laminated paperboard: These boards are
made from one or more plies of kraft paper
bonded together and are used for decorative,
structural, or insulating purposes.

Reprocessed paint: This is postconsumer latex
paint that has been sorted by a variety of char-
acteristics that are dictated by the recycler. In
general, the paint is sorted by type {interior
versus exterior), by light and dark colors, and by
finish (high-gloss versus flat). The reprocessor
adds raw materials to meet the performance and.
color requirements expected or required by the
end-user.

Consolidated paint: This product consists of
postconsumer latex paint with similar charac-
teristics (such as type, color family, and finish)
that is consolidated at the point of collection.
The postconsumer paints are blended together
and repackaged, usually with few or no new
ingredients added to improve the performance
of the resulting paint.