(June 6, 2012) DETROIT — A $200 million stamping plant at its Arlington, Texas, plant is one of five General Motors construction sites to follow a process that helps reduce waste and increase energy efficiency throughout construction. So far, GM has recycled 150,000 tons of waste at the five sites.

“We strive to reduce our environmental footprint in all that we do – whether we’re building cars or the plants that make them,” said Mari Kay Scott, executive director, GM Real Estate and Facilities. “The business case is compelling. By using GM Green Construction processes, we aim to reduce our overall construction cost by 15 percent, and the data thus far shows we’re well on our way.”

All future GM North American construction sites will adhere to GM Green Construction practices. GM announced 32 investments in 2011 totaling nearly $5.5 billion, many of which will be part of the initiative.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, work sites nationwide generate more than 100 million tons of combined construction and demolition debris annually. GM designed its program to reduce by 90 percent the weight of construction debris per project through recycling and sending less to landfill.

Environmental requirements for GM contractors include:

   • Managing indoor air quality by using curtains and barriers to reduce airborne particles such as dust and dirt from entering the atmosphere
   • Reducing energy use onsite with rechargeable battery-powered equipment
   • Segregating materials like metal, plastic, glass and concrete for ease of recycling and less use of landfills

The Arlington facility — home to the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade — have  reused various construction byproducts to date, including:

    • 120,000 cubic yards of clean soils for site-balancing activities like constructing a berm;
    • 10,200 tons of recycled concrete into base material for pavement and a finer mixture used to support pipes in trenches;

Arlington also recycled 112.5 tons of asphalt and 25.6 tons of steel and other metals.

Other GM Green Construction sites include the GM Wentzville Assembly facility, an engineering building at the Milford Proving Ground, as well as the Warren Technical Center’s $130 million Global Data Center and Global Architecture Studio.