Is there a documented environmental benefit to all the extra red tape we have to wade through "for LEED points" for projects where collecting in a commingled bin is actually the most likely way to get any jobsite recycling accomplished? If we can divert [50%] [75%] of total project C&D waste using a commingled bin approach, with multiple materials being collected together in the commingled bins and being sorted offsite later for recycling, why is that not satisfactory? Especially when an alternative scenario includes site separating but then landfilling those materials due to contamination because site separation is often very difficult to enforce.
Stated another way, the credit requirements say that [50%] [75%] of project waste needs to be diverted (that can be documented using facility wide numbers of the sorting facility) and that [2] [3] waste streams need to be diverted (that can be accomplished by looking in a commingled bin and verifying that concrete and steel are both in there, for example... I don't need to know what % each comprises to know they are both there). Why all the extra busy work to separate before arriving at the facility that exists literally to separate the recyclables just to get the points?
Tiffany Beffel
Managing PartnerInnovative Workshop Consulting
LEEDuser Expert
22 thumbs up
May 31, 2020 - 2:00 pm
You bring up some great points, Bryna. I am not sure if I completely understand your question, but want to try and provide some insight/clarification. While LEEDUser does note research and supporting evidence to help clarify credit details, you could also spend time with the LEED Technical Advisory Group resources and minutes for the Materials and Resources category. Perhaps you might even find some more substantial research as to the credit direction. The requirements for V4.1 did relax a little bit with regard to this particular credit and offer several approaches to documentation. I am not sure I see the documentation as extra busy work, especially if I know on the front end what the hauler is going to be able to provide me with or not, then I know how to plan. If I have set clear expectations with the documentation I need, the targeted materials to isolate, and goals for diversion, then with regular tracking, it just becomes part of the process for ensuring compliance. I think that there is a definitive line that LEED is trying to realize between obtaining viable documentation vs having documentation that appears to be somewhat subjective. I would suggest that if you are looking at a specific task that seems overlapping or unnecessary, that you submit it to your review team for your project, or reach out to a LEED Coach. It could be possible that you could suggest a more streamlined approach to your documentation.