The following are the waste streams that are being collected on the project site:
- Wood
- Metal
- Concrete
- Cardboard
- Commingled Waste
The first four streams are single-source being recycled at 100% of their tonnage. Looking to confirm that the commingled dumpster would be considered one stream and applied to the calculator at the Recycling Facility's average (~70% in this scenario)
RETIRED
LEEDuser Expert
623 thumbs up
January 26, 2018 - 11:04 am
Ben - Commingled waste for LEED is defined as "building waste streams that are combined on the project site and hauled away for sorting into recyclable streams. Also known as single-stream recycling." For what you shared, it appears that your project is doing on-site separated recycling for the major recyclable materials and the "commingled waste" you are noting is mostly the remaining non-recyclable materials.
If I am interpreting your situation correctly, then I would doubt that your recycling facility would confirm that 70% of your project's commingled material will actually be recycled. Have you asked them based on your situation? Will they provide a confirmation in writing?
Lacking verification, I would not try and count 70% of this material as recycled. Always keep in mind that the intent of this credit is "to reduce construction and demolition waste disposed of in landfills and incineration facilities by recovering, reusing, and recycling materials." Use any LEED credit's intent as a touchstone for evaluating situations. Ensure you can backup any claims you are making for credit documentation.