Mercer and Lawrence County leaders will host a virtual forum next week to discuss demolition and construction recycling.

According to the release, the meeting will be held online on September 16 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The release says construction and demolition waste is more than twice that of municipal solid waste. Building estimates are expected to double by 2060 and a third of current buildings will be demolished by 2050.

Joe Connell of Square Nail Consulting and the facilitator of the upcoming forum says the waste from the projects can no longer be ignored.

The forum will cover the challenge of how to construct, rebuild and remove buildings with a focus on waste reduction. Green job creation and landfill diversion will also be covered.

The Lawrence-Mercer Recycling/Solid Waste Development will lead the effort to organize a series of events to help deal with blighted properties with their new vision of "Buildings as Material Banks."

For more information, contact Megan Gahring at [email protected] or visit this website to register.

The forum is free and open to everyone.