Construction and Demolition

In This Section:

Construction and Demolition Materials Diversion Policy

The City of Fortuna (City) developed and adopted a Construction and Demolition (C & D) Diversion Policy in November of 2005. The purpose of this policy is to encourage and facilitate the recycling of materials produced or recovered during the construction and/or demolition of buildings and structures within the City of Fortuna, in order to divert these materials from the landfill.

The City recommends that all building permit applicants and/or contractors recycle and reuse at least 50% of the materials or resources generated by C & D projects that can reasonably be reused or recycled. The City planned to utilize a Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Resource Management Report (RMR) to document recycling and reuse. Based upon feedback provided by the building community and Public Works employees, these two forms have been reduced to one document, the Resource Management Log (RML), and it is available here.

The City encourages all businesses and residents embarking on any type of construction or demolition projects to take into account reuse and recycling options before and during these projects, and document this data upon the RML.

The focus of this C & D policy is all projects within the City of Fortuna that require a building permit. Building permit applicants and/or contractors are encouraged to work with City staff to complete a C & D RML. For all projects, except City of Fortuna projects, completion of the form is voluntary, and City staff members can help you with completion of the form, as well as providing recycling assistance.

All projects initiated by, or for the benefit of, the City of Fortuna will recycle and reuse at least 50% of the materials/resources generated by C & D projects that can reasonably be reused or recycled, and document these efforts using the RML. Additional C & D policy documents and resources are by calling 725-1464 or by e-mailing awood@ci.fortuna.ca.us.

Many materials can easily be recycled in Fortuna, thus saving money, benefiting our economy and conserving resources. Thank you for reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling C & D resources in our community.

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You can recycle the following C & D - generated materials at Eel River Disposal in Fortuna: aluminum, appliances, asphalt, brass, bricks, cardboard, cast iron, concrete, copper, dirt and rocks, insulated wire, metal pipes, pallets, pier blocks, plastic sheeting, plumbing items, rebar, scrap metal, stainless steel, wood, lumber, and yard waste.

What else can you recycle in Fortuna?

Automotive-related items: carburetors, cars, motor oil, radiators, and batteries.
Glass Products: glass bottles and glass jars. Sorry, no windows or Pyrex accepted.
Green Waste: branches, grass clippings, weeds, pine needles, flowers, leaves, etc. Recycling green waste and wood waste ($60 ton) is cheaper than throwing it away ($105 ton), and you get to save about 42%.
Metal Products: CRV aluminum cans, miscellaneous aluminum (foil, pie pans, etc.), bi-metal cans, cast iron, ferrous (magnetic) & non-ferrous (brass, copper), scrap metal, stainless steel, steel cans, tin cans, etc. Metal products that can be recycled include 55 gallon drums, rebar, pipes, cleaning product containers and whipped cream cans.
Miscellaneous items: appliances, computer monitors, and TVs.
Paper Products: Cardboard, catalogs, chipboard (cereal boxes), colored paper, envelopes, junk mail, magazines, newspaper, paper bags, and white paper.
Plastics: Plastic bags, plastic beverage bottles, plastic film, and clear plastic or colored plastic containers if they're marked #1 - #7. Please remove caps. Containers should be clean, dry, and empty to facilitate the recycling process. They cannot recycle plastic chairs, plastic pipes, or Styrofoam, even if the product has a recycling code number on it.
Wood Waste: unpainted wood, non-pressure treated wood, and pallets. Recycling clean (unpainted & untreated) wood waste ($60 ton) is cheaper than throwing it away ($105 ton), and you get to save about 42%.
All of the above items are accepted at Eel River Disposal & Resource Recovery, 965 Riverwalk Drive, 725-5156, and are recycled.

Other local recycling options include:

Eureka Community Recycling Center accepts electronics for only 2.5 cents per pound.
Hansen's Wire Rope recycles scrap metal.
Kernen Construction recycles asphalt, concrete, siding, porcelain, & tile.
RWS Services and Radio Shack accept small rechargeable batteries.
Windows and/or window glass can be taken to Blue Ox Millworks, Humboldt Waste Management Authority, Resale Lumber, and Stafford Glass.
Hazardous waste materials and/or questions should be directed to the Humboldt County Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Eureka. Their phone number is 441-2005.