In the first paragraph, revise the third sentence to read, "Exclude excavated soil and land-clearing debris from calculations. Include materials destined for alternative daily cover (ADC) in the calculations as waste (not diversion).”
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce construction waste generation and to reuse and recycle debris.
Requirements
Reduce total construction waste or divert from landfills and incinerators a large proportion of the waste generated from new construction. Use the tables below to calculate the percentage of waste avoided or recycled. Exclude excavated soil, land-clearing debris from calculations. Include materials destined for alternative daily cover (ADC) in the calculations as waste (not diversion). Any waste-to-energy is not considered recycling for this credit.
Table 1. Baseline waste for LEED reference home
| Bedrooms | Conditioned floor area (sf) | Waste (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 | 4,200 |
| 2 | 1,600 | 6,720 |
| 3 | 2,200 | 9,240 |
| 4 | 2,800 | 11,760 |
| 5 | 3,400 | 14,280 |
| 6 | 4,000 | 16,800 |
| 7 | 4,600 | 19,320 |
| 8 or more | — | Area (sf) * 4.2 |
Table 1a. Baseline waste for LEED reference home
| Bedrooms | Conditioned floor area (sq. m) | Waste (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 | 1 905 |
| 2 | 148 | 3 048 |
| 3 | 204 | 4 191 |
| 4 | 260 | 5 334 |
| 5 | 315 | 6 477 |
| 6 | 371 | 7 620 |
| 7 | 427 | 8 763 |
| 8 or more | — | Area (sq. m) * 20.5 |
For multifamily buildings, use the project’s floor area for any non-unit spaces, and add it to the floor area of the LEED reference home calculated for each unit.
Calculate the waste generated by the project according to the following equation:
Project construction waste = Total waste - (Recycled waste * 0.25)
To convert volume to weight, assume 500 pounds per cubic yard (296 kg per cubic meter) of mixed construction waste, or use Table 2 to calculate the weights of specific waste products.
Table 2. Volume-to-weight conversion for construction and demolition debris
| Material | LB/CY | TONS/CY | CY/TON | KG/cubic meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum (scrap, whole) | 175 | 0.09 | 11.1 | 103.8 |
| Asphalt | 1,380 | 0.69 | 1.4 | 818.7 |
| Brass (scrap) | 906 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 537.5 |
| Brick (common hard) | 3,024 | 1.5 | 0.67 | 1794 |
| Cardboard (uncompacted) | 100 | 0.05 | 20 | 59.3 |
| Carpet & Padding (loose) | 84 | 0.04 | 25 | 50 |
| Concrete | 1,855 | 0.92 | 1.4 | 1100.5 |
| Copper (scrap) | 1,094 | 0.56 | 1.8 | 649 |
| Dirt (loose, dry) | 1,890 | 0.94 | 1.1 | 1121.2 |
| Drywall | 500 | 0.25 | 4 | 296.6 |
| Glass (broken) | 2,160 | 1.1 | 0.91 | 1281.4 |
| Metal (scrap) | 906 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 537.5 |
| Mixed C&D Debris | 900 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 533.9 |
| Mixed Waste/Trash | 350 | 0.17 | 5.9 | 207.6 |
| Rock (loose) | 2,570 | 1.28 | 0.78 | 1631.5 |
| Roofing (wood shake, shingle) | 435 | 0.22 | 4.5 | 258 |
| Tree Limbs & Stumps | 1,080 | 0.54 | 1.9 | 640.7 |
| Wood (scrap, loose) | 330 | 0.17 | 5.9 | 195.7 |
| Yard Trimmings (mixed) | 108 | 0.05 | 20 | 64 |
Source: Contra Costa Waste Authority
Table 3. Points for reducing construction waste below baseline
| Percentage reduction | Points |
|---|---|
| 10% | 0.5 |
| 20% | 1.0 |
| 30% | 1.5 |
| 40% | 2.0 |
| 50% | 2.5 |
| 60% | 3.0 |
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
4/5/2016 – Updated: 4/7/2016
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/2/2018
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:
LEED BD&C: New Construction allows projects to earn credit for waste diversion.
Can Homes/Midrise projects use the BD&C Option 1: Waste Diversion approach to earn credit?
Ruling:
Yes, for MR 3.2 Construction Waste Reduction in LEED for Homes v2008 and for MRc Construction Waste Management in LEED for Homes v4, projects may earn up to 2 points by following the NC v4 credit MRc Construction and Demolition Waste Management, using Option 1: Waste Diversion. This approach includes using the facility average for diversion rates
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce construction waste generation and to reuse and recycle debris.
Requirements
Reduce total construction waste or divert from landfills and incinerators a large proportion of the waste generated from new construction. Use the tables below to calculate the percentage of waste avoided or recycled. Exclude excavated soil, land-clearing debris from calculations. Include materials destined for alternative daily cover (ADC) in the calculations as waste (not diversion). Any waste-to-energy is not considered recycling for this credit.
Table 1. Baseline waste for LEED reference home
| Bedrooms | Conditioned floor area (sf) | Waste (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 | 4,200 |
| 2 | 1,600 | 6,720 |
| 3 | 2,200 | 9,240 |
| 4 | 2,800 | 11,760 |
| 5 | 3,400 | 14,280 |
| 6 | 4,000 | 16,800 |
| 7 | 4,600 | 19,320 |
| 8 or more | — | Area (sf) * 4.2 |
Table 1a. Baseline waste for LEED reference home
| Bedrooms | Conditioned floor area (sq. m) | Waste (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 | 1 905 |
| 2 | 148 | 3 048 |
| 3 | 204 | 4 191 |
| 4 | 260 | 5 334 |
| 5 | 315 | 6 477 |
| 6 | 371 | 7 620 |
| 7 | 427 | 8 763 |
| 8 or more | — | Area (sq. m) * 20.5 |
For multifamily buildings, use the project’s floor area for any non-unit spaces, and add it to the floor area of the LEED reference home calculated for each unit.
Calculate the waste generated by the project according to the following equation:
Project construction waste = Total waste - (Recycled waste * 0.25)
To convert volume to weight, assume 500 pounds per cubic yard (296 kg per cubic meter) of mixed construction waste, or use Table 2 to calculate the weights of specific waste products.
Table 2. Volume-to-weight conversion for construction and demolition debris
| Material | LB/CY | TONS/CY | CY/TON | KG/cubic meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum (scrap, whole) | 175 | 0.09 | 11.1 | 103.8 |
| Asphalt | 1,380 | 0.69 | 1.4 | 818.7 |
| Brass (scrap) | 906 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 537.5 |
| Brick (common hard) | 3,024 | 1.5 | 0.67 | 1794 |
| Cardboard (uncompacted) | 100 | 0.05 | 20 | 59.3 |
| Carpet & Padding (loose) | 84 | 0.04 | 25 | 50 |
| Concrete | 1,855 | 0.92 | 1.4 | 1100.5 |
| Copper (scrap) | 1,094 | 0.56 | 1.8 | 649 |
| Dirt (loose, dry) | 1,890 | 0.94 | 1.1 | 1121.2 |
| Drywall | 500 | 0.25 | 4 | 296.6 |
| Glass (broken) | 2,160 | 1.1 | 0.91 | 1281.4 |
| Metal (scrap) | 906 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 537.5 |
| Mixed C&D Debris | 900 | 0.45 | 2.2 | 533.9 |
| Mixed Waste/Trash | 350 | 0.17 | 5.9 | 207.6 |
| Rock (loose) | 2,570 | 1.28 | 0.78 | 1631.5 |
| Roofing (wood shake, shingle) | 435 | 0.22 | 4.5 | 258 |
| Tree Limbs & Stumps | 1,080 | 0.54 | 1.9 | 640.7 |
| Wood (scrap, loose) | 330 | 0.17 | 5.9 | 195.7 |
| Yard Trimmings (mixed) | 108 | 0.05 | 20 | 64 |
Source: Contra Costa Waste Authority
Table 3. Points for reducing construction waste below baseline
| Percentage reduction | Points |
|---|---|
| 10% | 0.5 |
| 20% | 1.0 |
| 30% | 1.5 |
| 40% | 2.0 |
| 50% | 2.5 |
| 60% | 3.0 |
