Hello
We are developing a ver small 12 room hotel in a historical landmark building in the historic center of Quito, all houses in the block from late 1800's, thus the building was a former single family house and the spaces are very limited. The whole building area is only 6000 sq ft, and local code does not allow for us to include any waste storage areas or any process areas in the front of the house, these areas have to have a commercial use. In this case, can the designated waste collection space be split into two separate waste collection spaces in the building? Can we size it smaller than the recommended guideline? as the guideline places us at 125q ft of storage space that we do not have any chance of meeting in the given structure
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
327 thumbs up
February 16, 2016 - 8:33 pm
Veronica—According to the Reference Guide, USGBC never intended this Prerequisite to regulate the size of the recycling area: “The intent is for the design team to size the facilities appropriately for the specific building operations.” In practice, however, no matter how much area you provide, be prepared to justify your choices.
The City of Seattle developed the recycling space recommendations in Table 1 for commercial buildings. A small hotel in Ecuador might have very different recycling needs and capabilities.
Start by estimating how much waste your hotel is likely to produce. Estimate the volume of plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard, or other recyclables to expect. Find out from local recycling facilities what they require for separation, storage, and pickup. Use this information to determine how much space you require for both recyclables and trash. This may involve one or more areas.
Remember too that you can reduce the necessary space by increasing the frequency of pickup, through waste reducing practices and purchasing, and with creative space-saving sorting, storage, and transport solutions.
Include all such relevant information in the narrative in the LEEDonline MRp1 form.