"Mixed C&D"

Esmeralda - I'm not sure I'm following your question. Your first sentence states you get a monthly report with individual materials listed. But then you say 100% of the waste they haul is Mixed C&D. If the materials are collected commingled on your project site, then it makes sense that you won't have a breakdown of specific diverted materials until later. But are you saying they are going to give you a % (or weight) of Mixed C&D that is diverted and a % (or weight) of Mixed C&D that is landfilled and not give a further breakdown of what was actually diverted? If so, to me that doesn't seem correct. How/where is that material being recycled? I am used to commingled collected recyclables being broken down into specific diverted materials. Does anyone have experience and/or success with a similar situation that you can share?

Esmeralda - I have had the same experience as you state in your e-mail to me: "On all my previous LEED projects the hauler has separated the waste into different categories so I have not come across this before." I would think that they should be able to tell you how the Mixed C&D is being recycled and what constituents it has. For instance, are they using the 5.64 tons Mixed C&D waste as alternative daily cover? I would push the subcontractor for additional information. (What has worked on other LEED projects is not guarantee it will work on yours - especially if you don't have the documentation to use as an example to back it up.)

I realize this post is older, but I have a question related to this. On one of my projects, we are using the commingled waste stream. The Waste Hauler's monthly reports only provides the following quantifiable info: total tons of waste hauled, % of waste diverted, % of waste landfilled. I am used to and have always submitted reports that breaks down the diverted waste into categories (wood, concrete, metals, etc.). The waste hauler has suggested that this is not necessary. Has anyone had success with submitting the waste reporting in this manner? I realize that the information the waste hauler is providing is sufficient for completing the LEED form, however the form does request additional back-up for the commingled waste.

Alright LEEDusers, chime in here to help Marcia. As noted earlier in this thread, I am not used to seeing commingled waste as a percentage only and any experience you can share on this issue would be appreciated. Maybe Esmeralda can share if she was successful in getting the subcontractor to provide the additional backup. Lastly, the purpose of LEED is NOT the documentation. It is getting the environmental and energy benefits associated with its strategies. For this credit, the point is to divert debris from disposal in landfills and incineration facilities and to redirect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process. The hauler should be able to tell you where these recovered materials end up.

Michelle, thanks for chiming in so quickly. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the purpose of LEED is not the documentation. I hope that was not conveyed in my question. However, since the LEED Reviewer's decision is based on the documentation submitted, I am trying to understand what counts as sufficient information to verify our claims. I should probably note that before any waste hauling activities began, we worked with the waste hauler to understand what materials will be targeted for recycling and what will happen to them. Based on this discussion our CWM plan highlights the specific materials that will be diverted, how they will be diverted and what facilities they will be taken to. While this information is included in our CWM plan, the monthly reports do not provide an individual breakdown of those targeted materials. This is my first experience with this type of reporting from a waste hauler and if anyone else has had experience with this and could chime in, it would be a big help. Also, Michelle, do you think the information we have included in our CWM plan counts as confirmation of what happens to the diverted materials?

Marcia - Thanks for sharing this additional information. First, I did not read into your statements about documentation being the point. I was stating this in regards to something to convey to your waste hauler - although from what you have shared, the company seems to have been an integral partner in developing your CWM Plan. While I do see the information in the plan helping to back up the recovery of materials, I'm a stickler for complete backup and I would want more detail from the hauler on the actual disposition of materials. (Markets change and the original plans for recovery may have changed.) In addition, I cannot confirm that the proposed backup from your waste hauler with percentages only will be accepted by GBCI due to my lack of experience with this type of limited data and I wouldn't want to lead you to believe otherwise. Again, I hope other LEEDusers will share any experience they have on this situation so we both can learn!