The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published the results of its audit of the Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) enforcement of the City’s construction and demolition (C&D) debris recycling ordinance. The objective of the audit was to determine whether CDPH ensures that contractors who work on construction and demolition projects recycle at least 50% of C&D debris generated—including concrete, wood, brick, metals, and glass—that could be reused in other projects. The audit also assessed whether the City uses a construction/demolition debris management fund as required by the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC).
“According to the City’s own estimates, fully one quarter of the 4.1 million tons of waste generated by the City in 2020 was C&D debris. Recycling even a fraction of that would be a critical step forward in responsible environmental stewardship,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “There are laws on the books requiring the City to take action; the City has both a legal and a moral imperative to do better in the face of looming environmental crisis.”
OIG found that CDPH does not meet its obligations to enforce or track C&D debris recycling, as CDPH has not had any personnel dedicated to monitoring C&D projects since 2018. CDPH does not keep data on C&D diversion rates to add to the City diversion rate, a key metric in the City’s Waste Strategy. Additionally, the City has not created a construction/demolition debris management fund, as required by the Chicago Environmental Protection and Control Ordinance. Between January 1, 2017, and July 1, 2021, nearly $1.2 million was collected from C&D projects and deposited into the City’s general operating fund. In the absence of a dedicated fund, the City does not have a mechanism to ensure it spends these funds appropriately to regulate C&D debris.
OIG made eight recommendations to improve the management and tracking of C&D debris recycling. In response, CDPH stated that they plan to implement a web-based waste management tracking system that will automatically flag contractors who are out of compliance with the 50% recycling requirement. OIG also recommended that CDPH spearhead an effort to create the legally mandated construction/demolition fund, in collaboration with other relevant City departments.
Read the Report
Read the full report, released on June 14, 2023: Audit of Chicago Department of Public Health’s Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling Enforcement.
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