I have 2 issues with this prerequisite:
1) I understand that the policy should comply with some credit requirements, incuding MRc7 "Solid waste Management - Ongoing consummables", that requires to "Maintain a waste reduction and recycling program that addresses (...) food waste". Following a discussion with the LEED Reviewer, I undestand that the prequisite does not imply an actual performance, not even actual food waste management program. So if we there is no food waste management program, what should we write in the policy to be compliant with LEED?
2) For our project, we have two vertically attached buildings. Only one is pursuing LEED. But waste from the 2 buildings are disposed in the same place / compactors. The policy requires to implement a performance evaluation process. As alll waste from the 2 buildings are disposed in the same place, it's little bit complicated.. An annual waste characterisation could be a solution but we would like to avoid theses charges if it is not strictly required. What would be acceptable in this case for the evaluation process?
I know that implementation of the policy does not need to be demonstrated but we prefer to avoid writing things that will not be implemented..
Thanks for your help
Trista Brown
Project DirectorWSP USA
456 thumbs up
April 25, 2018 - 7:51 pm
Hi Vincent, I think of the policy as a guidance document that building operators can easily reference for standard operating procedures and best practices (even if those best practices can't be achieved 100% of the time). For food waste, your building may not have a composting program in place (most projects don't!), but your general waste management program presumably still addresses food. So your policy can reflect that. Check out the Documentation Toolkit for a policy template. It's been used by hundreds of projects and it actually doesn't mention food waste at all (since food is typically assumed to be "trash" if there's no composting program) - so I'd be curious to know more about why you're asking about food waste specifically.
For your second question, you may need to get creative since you can't rely on waste hauler reports that address just the LEED project. Is there any way to divvy up the waste management area and compactors so that your building's waste is separate? Can you stagger the waste collection schedule in some way so that the hauler can quantify your building's waste separately? If not, you could try to do a more informal waste evaluation every year where you isolate your building's waste and building staff perform a rough assessment (in addition to reviewing monthly haul reports that reflect the combined waste performance for both buildings). I don't think GBCI will deny the prerequisite just because your existing infrastructure requires that both buildings share a waste management space. But, do your best to think through the best way to do some kind of periodic performance evaluation.
The vertically attached building configuration will likely prove to be more tricky when attempting the waste audit (MRc6) or waste performance (MRc7) credits. However, those are optional credits, so if you pursue them you'll just need to work through how being vertically attached with a shared waste management area will impact your ability to meet the requirements. Hope this helps!