Construction eases, as does burden on N.C. landfills

CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. 

If there is any benefit to the economic slowdown, it is being reflected in the county's landfills.

Statewide and locally, construction debris has fallen to the lowest level in years, easing the strain on state landfills.

But less in the landfills means less is being built.

Construction workers make up about 10 percent of the unemployed in Currituck County, according to claims filed with the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina.

The county's overall employment rate climbed again in December, from November's 7 percent, or 891 claims, to 8.9 percent, or 1,148.

Last year, the landfill in Maple accepted 2,434 tons of construction debris, compared with 17,909 tons in 2004 when homebuilding peaked in Currituck County. In 1996, the first full year of measuring construction waste, the total was 4,164 tons.

Statewide, trash collection has also fallen with the economy. From July 2008 through June 2009, 9.9 million tons of solid waste was collected, for a disposal rate of 1.07 tons per person, according to an online state report.

Of that, 1.6 million tons came from construction, the lowest in 10 years.

"The biggest part of the decline is directly related to the decline in the construction industry," said Paul Crissman, chief of the Solid Waste Section for the North Carolina Division of Waste Management. "New housing starts and the downturn in building permits almost parallels the drop in trash collection."

Recycling accounts for some of the recent decline, Crissman said.

Recovery of glass, plastics, aluminum and steel containers reached an all-time high in fiscal 2008- 09, surpassing 110,000 tons for the first time, according to the state's online report.

Plastic bottles and wood pallets have been banned from landfills. North Carolina has passed aggressive laws on recycling and has become a national hub for recycling-related jobs, Crissman said.

Currituck County plans to recycle shingles in a contract with Greenville Paving & Contracting that would cut tonnage to the landfill and cut fees to contractors and the county, said Brenda

McQueen, Currituck County superintendent of buildings.

At the current rate of disposal, the 40 municipal solid-waste landfills in the state would fill in 29 years, according to the state report.

If given his choice, people having jobs trump lighter loads to the landfill, said Currituck County Manager Dan Scanlon.

"I would rather have more construction," Scanlon said. "No doubt. Hands down."

With construction costs dropping and contractors seeking work, some people have taken on long-delayed home projects that are now affordable, said Jim Bizzell, a house painter from Grandy. He has seen a slight upswing in work, he said.

"I'm working for less than I did seven years ago," Bizzell said. "But you have to eat. It's either quit or keep going, and I can't quit."

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com