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Requirements
Provide an easily-accessible dedicated area for the collection and storage materials for recycling for the entire building. Materials must include at a minimum paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.What does it cost?
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Are we required to collect and recycle food waste?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
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I'm confident we have enough space allotted for recycling, but how much detail should I go into in documenting expected volume?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Addenda
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner\'s Office Expansion is an addition to an existing building, with a small amount of renovation where the new addition engages with the existing building. The existing facility, built in 1985, is 26,555 square feet. The addition will be approx. 43,000 square feet, and will connect to the existing building. The project is seeking certification under LEED NCv2.2. The Expansion is funded by public bond funds, approved by Tarrant County voters in 2000. Included in the Bond was funding only for the Expansion, and very minimal work in the existing building. As such, Tarrant County, and the Design Team would like to exclude the existing building from the LEED Project Boundary (LPB). Tarrant County seeks LEED Certification of the new facility only, and cannot commit public funds to the existing facility in any kind of upgrades that would be required to make the 1985 facility comply with LEED NC v2.2 guidelines. The Design Team would locate the LPB in such a way that the site area surrounding both the existing building and the new addition would be included, except that essentially the footprint of the existing facility would be excluded. We believe this approach to be acceptable, based on the 3-30-2005 CIR which stated "It is permissible to set the LEED project boundary to exclude portions of the site as is reasonable in complicated scenarios, such as in your case, providing that the same boundary and scope are used for all credits." However, two areas within the existing building would need to be considered for LEED credits, though they would technically fall outside the LPB. First, the existing building already has the appropriate quantity of showers and changing rooms required for SS Credit 4.2. The showers would be within 200 yards of the entrance to both the existing facility, as well as the new addition. Second, the Design Team would like to locate the Recyclables Collection area (MR Prereq. 1) in the existing building, directly adjacent to the existing employee Break Room, with direct access to the exterior near the dumpster yard. This is the most sensible place within the entire facility for this collection area to be located. We seek confirmation that we may locate the LEED Project Boundary in such a way that it excludes the existing building, yet allows Tarrant County and the Design Team to locate the Recyclables Collection Area outside the LPB, as well as consider the existing showers already within the existing facility.
The project team is asking whether the showers and changing rooms for SSc4.2, and the recycling collection area for MRp1 can be located outside the LEED project boundary. This approach is acceptable and the efficient use of existing facilities is encouraged, provided the following: 1) The recycling collection area is sized appropriately to handle any recycling from the existing building and all the recycling from the new addition, AND the occupants in the new building have easy access to recycling collection bins/boxes (i.e. at their desks, break rooms, copy rooms, etc...), so that recycling is convenient for all occupants inside the LEED project boundary, for all required materials. 2) If showers will be located outside the boundary but within 200 yards, the showers should be sufficient to accommodate all users of the showers, not just for new project occupants. Please keep in mind that only the building addition would be certified. Applicable Internationally.
The project occupies one floor of a ten-story building. The building owner currently implements a building-wide recycling program which includes paper, glass, plastics and metals. The LEED CI Reference Guide, Version 2.0 reguires that corrugated cardboard, in addition to the aforementioned materials, be included in the recycling program. Is it acceptable for the tenant to designate space for collection and contract with a separate materials handler for the recycling of corrugated cardboard?
Yes, this approach meets the requirements of the prerequisite. As long as the space is easily accessible and all required materials are recycled, they do not have to be processed by a single materials handler. Applicable Internationally.
Our project, a large corporate office campus project, proposes the following ongoing recycling program for the campus. Please confirm whether this complies with the LEED prerequisite. 1) Individual user bins: a) Small recycling stations at each office floor to have four containers/grommets, one for each of the following: Regular trash; Metal; Plastic; Paper *Note: Glass will not be collected in office areas, because glass will be kept to a minimum on campus, due to the current difficulty of recycling glass in Austin. There is a slim market for glass recycling, and a glut of glass currently stockpiled at the city recycling center. In the future, if glass recycling becomes more viable, the container designated for paper at the recycling stations can be switched to glass, with all paper collection shifting to the individual desk bins described below. b) Individual paper bins at each desk to be emptied by maintenance and recycled (all paper will be handled as confidential) c) Individual bins in cafeteria kitchen for: Trash; Compostables; Cardboard; Glass; Plastic; Metal (cans) d) Individual bins in cafeteria dining area for: Trash; Compostables; Glass; Plastic; Metal (aluminum cans) 2) Large hauling bins: a) Compactors at main Shipping & Receiving (next to cafeteria) for: Trash; Compostables; Cardboard b) Additional containers for metals and glass recycling on an as-needed basis c) Smaller hauling carts at each building for: Mixed paper; Plastic 3) Waste Reduction: In addition to the recycling initiatives above, the Owner has committed to completely eliminate Styrofoam from the cafeteria service. This will eliminate a major non-recyclable trash item. Our company is currently committed to washable dishware for the cafeteria, and is researching the potential for compostable take-away containers.
The recycling program as described meets the intent of the credit. Be sure to include the above description with a drawing highlighting the recycling collection and storage areas in the LEED submittal. Applicable Internationally.
We propose the following design innovation on the basis of exemplary performance against the Materials and Resources Prerequisite 1: Storage and Collection of Materials, submitted on the basis that the client significantly exceed the requirements of the prerequisite, through the implementation of an award winning campus recycling program. The client (AHM) operate a Campus-wide recycling program serving all existing buildings within the Torrance campus. This program will be extended to incorporate this new building. This program has been in place for over 5 years and has won a number of awards including WRAP awards (Waste Reduction Awards Program) which is run by the State of California. Not content with merely maintaining this program, the client (AHM) are continuously trying to improve upon the existing program and further increase the % of waste that is recycled. Since receiving the 2004 WRAP of the year award, AHM has increased its recycling efforts by approximately 22%. This increase has come in spite of AHM\'s effort to eliminate duplicate reports, periodicals, newspapers, and their continued efforts to reduce the use of office paper, and other recyclable products. This was accomplished by; improving and increasing their "AHM Recycling, Reduction and Elimination" communications and related programs that involved the total employee population. They have been able to eliminate non-recyclables from the recyclable products through employee awareness and improved sorting methods. AHM also provide inhouse waste reduction training for their staff. By sponsoring and publicizing their recent win of the 2004 "WRAP of the Year Award" AHM has been able to further increase awareness, participation, pride, and appreciation in all of our waste reduction programs at the Torrance campus. AHM has adopted a policy of re-using materials in the construction of new products and buildings, and purchase recycled products were possible. Used furniture and all office equipment are now first considered for future moves and relocations within our organization. AHM now reuses tapes and diskettes, as well as donating used tapes and diskettes to non-profit organizations for continued use. Thousands of pounds of office equipment is either reused or donated to non-profit organizations, rather than being disposed of to landfills. New recyclable products have also been added to our recyclable collection programs (i.e. CD\'s / Jewel cases, wire harnesses etc). In back up to this Design Innovation, copies of the 2005 WRAP application and a summary of the 2005 Recycling & Waste Prevention Summary which demonstrates an 88.72% diversion rate for the site are available and will be submitted as part of the LEED submittal. AHM are continuing their commitment to Recycling and will be submitting later this year for the 2006 WRAP awards.
The project is inquiring about submitting a campus-wide recycling program for an Innovation & Design point. The program, as described, appears to surpass the recycling requirements of MR prerequisite 1 through the development of a comprehensive approach to recycling and waste reduction. Per the submitted narrative, a wide array of materials, beyond those required for prerequisite compliance, that would otherwise end up in a landfill, such as computers, office equipment, furniture, CDs, and diskettes are recycled. The CIR narrative complies with previous CIR Rulings (3/8/04, 9/6/05), by demonstrating an overall campus-wide recycling rate of 88.72% and by providing evidence of recognition from the CIWMB\'s WRAP program. Documentation of credit should include a copy of the project\'s WRAP application and award, as well as a summary of the 2005 Recycling & Waste Prevention Summary. Note: This interpretation is specific to your project description and does not establish precedent that other recycling programs will be acceptable for award of an ID point.
If a project is located in a remote area without full recycling services available, can this prerequisite be met by providing recycling containers for the materials which can be recycled nearby, but not for those materials which cannot? Our project is located in Curlew, WA, an unincorporated community, population 1800, surrounded by other small towns. (The nearest towns with population of more than 2000 are Grand Forks (population 4200), which is across the border in Canada, and Colville (population 5000), which is 50 miles away.) Curlew does not have curbside recycling, but has a drop-off recycling facility which accepts newspaper, corrugated cardboard, tin cans, and aluminum cans. This facility is less than 1/2 mile from the project. We propose to provide recycling receptacles for these materials, but not for glass, white paper, or plastics, since those cannot be recycled in this community. It would be the building occupants\' responsibility to take the recyclables to the drop-off location. A filter system has been installed on the break room sink in order to encourage use of reusable bottles (and thereby discourage the use of purchased bottled water) by the building occupants, which should reduce the amount of plastic bottles in the waste stream from the building. Also, no vending machines will be provided in the building, which will also reduce the consumption of plastic or aluminum beverage cans. If the proposed method of compliance is not sufficient, please provide further guidance as to exactly what would be required for a project in this sort of setting to meet this prerequisite.
Given the location and infrastructure of your project, you will not be required to collect those materials that you cannot recycle. However, it should be noted that even if recycling does not exist for glass, white paper and plastics in the geographical area, space must be provided in the building in anticipation of recycling resources becoming available in the future. Please be sure to include a narrative with your submittal describing your recycling efforts and a description of how often recyclables will be taken to the drop-off location and by whom. Applicable Internationally.
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Provide an easily-accessible dedicated area for the collection and storage materials for recycling for the entire building. Materials must include at a minimum paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.XX%
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Are we required to collect and recycle food waste?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project will have a different area for recycling than what is recommended in the LEED Reference Guide. Is that okay?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
I'm confident we have enough space allotted for recycling, but how much detail should I go into in documenting expected volume?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner\'s Office Expansion is an addition to an existing building, with a small amount of renovation where the new addition engages with the existing building. The existing facility, built in 1985, is 26,555 square feet. The addition will be approx. 43,000 square feet, and will connect to the existing building. The project is seeking certification under LEED NCv2.2. The Expansion is funded by public bond funds, approved by Tarrant County voters in 2000. Included in the Bond was funding only for the Expansion, and very minimal work in the existing building. As such, Tarrant County, and the Design Team would like to exclude the existing building from the LEED Project Boundary (LPB). Tarrant County seeks LEED Certification of the new facility only, and cannot commit public funds to the existing facility in any kind of upgrades that would be required to make the 1985 facility comply with LEED NC v2.2 guidelines. The Design Team would locate the LPB in such a way that the site area surrounding both the existing building and the new addition would be included, except that essentially the footprint of the existing facility would be excluded. We believe this approach to be acceptable, based on the 3-30-2005 CIR which stated "It is permissible to set the LEED project boundary to exclude portions of the site as is reasonable in complicated scenarios, such as in your case, providing that the same boundary and scope are used for all credits." However, two areas within the existing building would need to be considered for LEED credits, though they would technically fall outside the LPB. First, the existing building already has the appropriate quantity of showers and changing rooms required for SS Credit 4.2. The showers would be within 200 yards of the entrance to both the existing facility, as well as the new addition. Second, the Design Team would like to locate the Recyclables Collection area (MR Prereq. 1) in the existing building, directly adjacent to the existing employee Break Room, with direct access to the exterior near the dumpster yard. This is the most sensible place within the entire facility for this collection area to be located. We seek confirmation that we may locate the LEED Project Boundary in such a way that it excludes the existing building, yet allows Tarrant County and the Design Team to locate the Recyclables Collection Area outside the LPB, as well as consider the existing showers already within the existing facility.
The project team is asking whether the showers and changing rooms for SSc4.2, and the recycling collection area for MRp1 can be located outside the LEED project boundary. This approach is acceptable and the efficient use of existing facilities is encouraged, provided the following: 1) The recycling collection area is sized appropriately to handle any recycling from the existing building and all the recycling from the new addition, AND the occupants in the new building have easy access to recycling collection bins/boxes (i.e. at their desks, break rooms, copy rooms, etc...), so that recycling is convenient for all occupants inside the LEED project boundary, for all required materials. 2) If showers will be located outside the boundary but within 200 yards, the showers should be sufficient to accommodate all users of the showers, not just for new project occupants. Please keep in mind that only the building addition would be certified. Applicable Internationally.
The project occupies one floor of a ten-story building. The building owner currently implements a building-wide recycling program which includes paper, glass, plastics and metals. The LEED CI Reference Guide, Version 2.0 reguires that corrugated cardboard, in addition to the aforementioned materials, be included in the recycling program. Is it acceptable for the tenant to designate space for collection and contract with a separate materials handler for the recycling of corrugated cardboard?
Yes, this approach meets the requirements of the prerequisite. As long as the space is easily accessible and all required materials are recycled, they do not have to be processed by a single materials handler. Applicable Internationally.
Our project, a large corporate office campus project, proposes the following ongoing recycling program for the campus. Please confirm whether this complies with the LEED prerequisite. 1) Individual user bins: a) Small recycling stations at each office floor to have four containers/grommets, one for each of the following: Regular trash; Metal; Plastic; Paper *Note: Glass will not be collected in office areas, because glass will be kept to a minimum on campus, due to the current difficulty of recycling glass in Austin. There is a slim market for glass recycling, and a glut of glass currently stockpiled at the city recycling center. In the future, if glass recycling becomes more viable, the container designated for paper at the recycling stations can be switched to glass, with all paper collection shifting to the individual desk bins described below. b) Individual paper bins at each desk to be emptied by maintenance and recycled (all paper will be handled as confidential) c) Individual bins in cafeteria kitchen for: Trash; Compostables; Cardboard; Glass; Plastic; Metal (cans) d) Individual bins in cafeteria dining area for: Trash; Compostables; Glass; Plastic; Metal (aluminum cans) 2) Large hauling bins: a) Compactors at main Shipping & Receiving (next to cafeteria) for: Trash; Compostables; Cardboard b) Additional containers for metals and glass recycling on an as-needed basis c) Smaller hauling carts at each building for: Mixed paper; Plastic 3) Waste Reduction: In addition to the recycling initiatives above, the Owner has committed to completely eliminate Styrofoam from the cafeteria service. This will eliminate a major non-recyclable trash item. Our company is currently committed to washable dishware for the cafeteria, and is researching the potential for compostable take-away containers.
The recycling program as described meets the intent of the credit. Be sure to include the above description with a drawing highlighting the recycling collection and storage areas in the LEED submittal. Applicable Internationally.
We propose the following design innovation on the basis of exemplary performance against the Materials and Resources Prerequisite 1: Storage and Collection of Materials, submitted on the basis that the client significantly exceed the requirements of the prerequisite, through the implementation of an award winning campus recycling program. The client (AHM) operate a Campus-wide recycling program serving all existing buildings within the Torrance campus. This program will be extended to incorporate this new building. This program has been in place for over 5 years and has won a number of awards including WRAP awards (Waste Reduction Awards Program) which is run by the State of California. Not content with merely maintaining this program, the client (AHM) are continuously trying to improve upon the existing program and further increase the % of waste that is recycled. Since receiving the 2004 WRAP of the year award, AHM has increased its recycling efforts by approximately 22%. This increase has come in spite of AHM\'s effort to eliminate duplicate reports, periodicals, newspapers, and their continued efforts to reduce the use of office paper, and other recyclable products. This was accomplished by; improving and increasing their "AHM Recycling, Reduction and Elimination" communications and related programs that involved the total employee population. They have been able to eliminate non-recyclables from the recyclable products through employee awareness and improved sorting methods. AHM also provide inhouse waste reduction training for their staff. By sponsoring and publicizing their recent win of the 2004 "WRAP of the Year Award" AHM has been able to further increase awareness, participation, pride, and appreciation in all of our waste reduction programs at the Torrance campus. AHM has adopted a policy of re-using materials in the construction of new products and buildings, and purchase recycled products were possible. Used furniture and all office equipment are now first considered for future moves and relocations within our organization. AHM now reuses tapes and diskettes, as well as donating used tapes and diskettes to non-profit organizations for continued use. Thousands of pounds of office equipment is either reused or donated to non-profit organizations, rather than being disposed of to landfills. New recyclable products have also been added to our recyclable collection programs (i.e. CD\'s / Jewel cases, wire harnesses etc). In back up to this Design Innovation, copies of the 2005 WRAP application and a summary of the 2005 Recycling & Waste Prevention Summary which demonstrates an 88.72% diversion rate for the site are available and will be submitted as part of the LEED submittal. AHM are continuing their commitment to Recycling and will be submitting later this year for the 2006 WRAP awards.
The project is inquiring about submitting a campus-wide recycling program for an Innovation & Design point. The program, as described, appears to surpass the recycling requirements of MR prerequisite 1 through the development of a comprehensive approach to recycling and waste reduction. Per the submitted narrative, a wide array of materials, beyond those required for prerequisite compliance, that would otherwise end up in a landfill, such as computers, office equipment, furniture, CDs, and diskettes are recycled. The CIR narrative complies with previous CIR Rulings (3/8/04, 9/6/05), by demonstrating an overall campus-wide recycling rate of 88.72% and by providing evidence of recognition from the CIWMB\'s WRAP program. Documentation of credit should include a copy of the project\'s WRAP application and award, as well as a summary of the 2005 Recycling & Waste Prevention Summary. Note: This interpretation is specific to your project description and does not establish precedent that other recycling programs will be acceptable for award of an ID point.
If a project is located in a remote area without full recycling services available, can this prerequisite be met by providing recycling containers for the materials which can be recycled nearby, but not for those materials which cannot? Our project is located in Curlew, WA, an unincorporated community, population 1800, surrounded by other small towns. (The nearest towns with population of more than 2000 are Grand Forks (population 4200), which is across the border in Canada, and Colville (population 5000), which is 50 miles away.) Curlew does not have curbside recycling, but has a drop-off recycling facility which accepts newspaper, corrugated cardboard, tin cans, and aluminum cans. This facility is less than 1/2 mile from the project. We propose to provide recycling receptacles for these materials, but not for glass, white paper, or plastics, since those cannot be recycled in this community. It would be the building occupants\' responsibility to take the recyclables to the drop-off location. A filter system has been installed on the break room sink in order to encourage use of reusable bottles (and thereby discourage the use of purchased bottled water) by the building occupants, which should reduce the amount of plastic bottles in the waste stream from the building. Also, no vending machines will be provided in the building, which will also reduce the consumption of plastic or aluminum beverage cans. If the proposed method of compliance is not sufficient, please provide further guidance as to exactly what would be required for a project in this sort of setting to meet this prerequisite.
Given the location and infrastructure of your project, you will not be required to collect those materials that you cannot recycle. However, it should be noted that even if recycling does not exist for glass, white paper and plastics in the geographical area, space must be provided in the building in anticipation of recycling resources becoming available in the future. Please be sure to include a narrative with your submittal describing your recycling efforts and a description of how often recyclables will be taken to the drop-off location and by whom. Applicable Internationally.
