Materials & Resources
Construction Waste Management
Construction and demolition waste constitutes about 40% of the total solid waste stream in the United States. After source reduction, building and material reuse is the next most effective strategy for diverting waste, because reusing existing materials avoids the environmental burden of the manufacturing process. Replacing existing materials with new ones would entail production and transportation of new materials, and it would take many years to offset the associated greenhouse gases through increased efficiency of the building. The Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla (JRTC) construction team was able to achieve over 75% recycled and/or salvaged non-hazardous construction/ demo debris during the construction of the project. Materials from the existing building on site and the asphalt were reused during construction.
Recycled Content
Recycled content refers to the portion of materials used in a product that have been diverted from the solid waste stream. Materials used in the construction of the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla (JRTC) were specifically chosen to maximize the recycled content. Recycled content utilized during construction included: cast-in-place concrete, structural steel framing, metal pan stairs, decorative metal railings, architectural cabinets, building insulation, formed metal wall panels, insulated metal wall panels, metal soffit panels, single-ply membrane roofing, hollow metal doors and frames, swinging automatic entrances, non-structural metal framing, gypsum board, and acoustic panels. The construction team was able to go above and beyond the LEED requirement for recycled content, achieving 30% of all materials used being recycled content.
Regional Materials
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s (JTA) operations provide many benefits to the community and contributes directly to the local economy. In 2018 it was determined that the JTA’s economic output exceeded $198.8 million. The JTA’s economic output included direct impacts, like the construction of the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla (JRTC). The JRTC construction team was able to source more than 20% of its building materials from within 500 miles of the project site. Regionally sourced materials included: cast-in-place concrete, concrete unit masonry, and non-structural metal framing.
Certified Wood
Timber is a primary resource in building construction. The Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla (JRTC) was primarily built using concrete and steel; however, some interior finishes utilized wood. To ensure responsible forest management, more than 50% of the new wood-based products and materials utilized in the construction of the JRTC were certified with the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) principles and criteria. The FSC works to ensure responsible forest management beyond what is required by federal and state law, which helps restore forests, store carbon, and create jobs for rural communities.
Storage & Collection of Recyclables
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) promotes a sustainable culture for its employees in their day-to-day operations and the customers that utilize our services. The JTA developed its recycling program in 2014 and has been implemented across all of the Authority’s primary facilities, including at the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla (JRTC). Recycling is the most common way to divert waste from landfills. In conventional practice, most waste is landfilled—an increasingly unsustainable solution. In urban areas landfill space is reaching capacity, requiring the conversion of more land elsewhere and raising the transportation costs of waste.
The JRTC includes solar-powered trash and recycling compactors outside along the primary bus terminal, which promotes the recycling of materials by customers, while improving waste management efficiency through advanced technology. Solar-powered trash and recycling compactors can hold more materials through compaction and can send notifications to the facilities staff when they are at capacity.
Within the JRTC, side-by-side trash and recycling receptacles are centrally located to promote conscious decision making by employees disposing of materials. Receptacles are located in high traffic areas, including the operator’s lounge, main lobby, as well as employee break rooms. Additional receptacles will be located in central locations at each wing of the building. Centrally located waste and recycling receptacles provide a number of benefits including promoting conscious decision making on what to throw away and what to recycle, promoting employee health through standing and walking, and can result in a cost savings by reducing total waste production, as well as the benefit of diverting more waste from landfills.