Demolished Building At Eastern To Be 'Recycled'

WILLIMANTIC, CT — Eastern Connecticut State University is taking recycling a rather large step further by recycling a building as part of its demolition.

That right, an entire building.

Eastern Hall, which was built around the year 2000 as a temporary classroom and office building next to the campus library, will have its bits and pieces "recovered, re-used and recycled" to make way for a new green space.

The demolition is currently under way, and by late May, the building's former footprint is expected to be replaced with grass, shade trees and native plantings.

The building was in use as late as the fall 2023 semester, said James Fielding, the coordinator of university construction.

After it was decommissioned, its utilities were cut off. Some of the older-style furniture that is no longer used on campus was donated to the National Guard, Maintenance Supervisor Nancy Harper said. Furniture was also donated to Eastern's new Thrift Warriors shop and some 30 to 40 percent was "repurposed" on campus, officials said.

Metal furnishings were recycled at Willimantic Waste.

As more of the building comes down, construction waste materials will be processed for their recycling content at F & G Recycling in East Windsor, under a contract with USA Waste and Recycling. About 65 percent of the sheetrock and carpeting will be recovered for re-use, Fielding said.

USA will also handle general debris disposal for the project through its Hartford waste recycling center. Concrete and masonry will be hauled off and recycled, ultimately going to Windham Materials in Windham, and mixed metals will go to G & S Scrap Metal in South Windsor. The final destinations for all materials could vary depending on rates, officials said.

Materials that cannot be recycled, such as some of the sheetrock, carpeting and insulation, will go to a landfill, Fielding said.

Before the demolition began, trace amounts of asbestos were found in the adhesive used in the seams of the building's flat roof. This was remediated by an abatement contractor.

Once everything is hauled away, planting can begin. Native highbush blueberry shrubs and deciduous sweetgum trees will be planted, along with some non-native species. The plantings will screen the area from the adjacent library parking stalls.

The road leading up from Windham Street to the library, Clocktower Road, will be repaved. The total project is scheduled for completion before Eastern's summer programs and tours begin, according to Fielding.

The energy savings from removing Eastern Hall from service will be an average of 166,500 kWh annually, said Patricia Szczys, the director of Eastern's Institute for Sustainability.