News Release 504

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
ENCOURAGES RESPONSIBLE DEMOLITION

Volume 34-504

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 13, 2006 -- As Missouri communities continue to grow, older buildings are being renovated or demolished. Properly managing the waste during the demolition will prevent threats to human health and the environment, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The department regulates demolition and renovation projects for institutional, commercial, public and industrial structures. The department also regulates residential structure projects such as apartment buildings with more than four units or two or more residential structures within 500 feet of each other. Single residential structures containing four units or less are exempted from the demolition notification and inspection requirements.

All construction and demolition waste must be properly disposed of at a permitted transfer station or landfill regardless of whether it was generated from a regulated project or a non-regulated single residential structure. To ensure proper disposal of demolition waste, entities should include provisions in their request for proposals and contracts requiring waste disposal at a transfer station or landfill permitted to accept such waste. Additionally, the submittal of disposal receipts by the contractor should be required as a means to document the proper disposal of waste generated as part of a contract.

"If a demolition or renovation project is entered with an eye toward the environment and human health, the impact to both can be lessened or even removed. This will allow communities to continue to grow in harmony with the citizens and environment," said Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers.

Demolition or renovation operations can create several different kinds of waste including clean fill, recovered materials, regulated wastes, hazardous waste and asbestos containing materials. For more information on these wastes and their proper uses or disposal, call the department at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-5401 or visit the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/cdwaste.htm.

There may be local ordinances that are stricter than the state's rules and regulations. Any business or entity beginning a renovation or demolition project should be aware of all of the ordinances and regulations affecting them before the project starts.

It is important to note that no waste from any renovation or demolition project can be open burned in Missouri. The burning of waste can lead to toxic emissions and become harmful to human health.

Additionally, before a regulated project begins, a licensed inspector must inspect the structure for asbestos containing material. If the inspector finds regulated quantities of asbestos containing material or assumes it to be in the structure, an asbestos abatement contractor must complete the project.

Abatement contractors are trained in the proper procedures for safely removing and disposing of asbestos containing material. The Department of Natural Resources has a listing of Missouri-certified asbestos professionals and training providers on the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/apcp/Asbestos.htm.

The department requires notification for all regulated demolition and asbestos abatement projects. The information must be submitted to the department's Air Pollution Control Program 10 working days before the project begins. The department will review the project to ensure that it is being performed in compliance with all of the applicable requirements. Businesses or entities performing these types of projects should not proceed with the project without prior approval.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber. It can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. Because the fibers are so small, they can float into the air, where they can be inhaled and accumulate in the lungs and can lead to diseases like asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

For information on managing construction and demolition waste, asbestos or open burning contact the department at P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO, 65102-0176 or by phone at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-6892 or visit the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/cdwaste.htm.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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