C&D: Construction and demolition - refers to the process of building or demolishing domestic or commercial buildings, excluding infrastructure.
Cleanfill: Area for disposal of inert material that does not require the high containment standards of an engineered landfill. Also used to refer to such material. The material deposited in a cleanfill will typically be from construction and demolition activities and will generally comprise soil, rock, concrete, bricks and similar inert material so does not include compostable materials, hazardous or toxic materials.
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste: Solid waste typically including building materials, packaging, metal, plasterboard, timber, concrete and rubble resulting from construction, renovation and demolition of buildings.
Demolition: Rapid destruction of a building with little removal of salvageable items.
Deconstruction: The process of taking a building apart, storing and handling materials in a manner that achieves maximum salvage and recycling of materials and safe removal and disposal of hazardous materials.
Dismantling: Taking a building or building components apart in a manner that achieves maximum salvage and recycling of materials.
Engineered wood products (EWPs): Timber products that have been manufactured from wood pulp, fibre or veneer, for example, fibreboard or plywood.
Hazardous: Explosive, corrosive, toxic or reactive.
HVAC: Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.
Landfill: A site for the disposal of waste materials by burial. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of organised waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world.
Non-hazardous: Exhibiting none of the characteristics of hazardous substances.
PPE: Personal protective equipment.
Renovation: Changes made to a building including structural alterations, additions and redecorating.
Reuse: Repeated use of a product in the same form but not necessarily for the same purpose.
Recycle: Any process by which waste and recyclable materials are transformed or collected for the purpose of being transferred into new products.
Salvage: Removal of structural and non-structural building materials from residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings deconstruction projects for the purpose of reuse or recycling.
Source separation: The act of keeping different types of waste materials separate from other wastes from the moment they become waste.
Triple bottom line: An assessment method that incorporates financial, environmental and social factors rather than just economic factors to make a decision.
Waste: Any product or material resulting from the construction or demolition process that is surplus to or not included in the finished building.