No tenants?

Sara, there is no specific requirement for interior plans that indicate the location of decentralized collection of recyclables. The intent of the credit is for the facility managers to have a plan for implementing recycling while making it easy for tenants to participate to the maximum level possible. Indicating the location of the centralized collection area on the exterior plan and provided a narrative description of the types of recycling addressed with a local hauler is adequate. See the Recycling Area Narrative sample under Documentation Toolkit for guidance.

Hi Sara and Lisa,
This is my question, too. And actually there is an explicit requirement on the credit form for the interior issues. "A floor plan highlighting recycling storage areas is required to document prerequisite compliance." This statement is entirely separate from the required narrative.

We have always interpreted this credit as being about the outside trash/recycling enclosure for the building. Yet the operational issues of collection amounts and frequency has crept into NC and CS, not just CI.

How are you responding to these parts? Are you just talking about the exterior enclosure in the narrative and adding some generalities about possible tenants to address volume and frequency? What are you uploading for the floor plan required?

An upload will be required and it needs to have a call-out for recyclables collection location. I think you are getting hung up on the "interior" and "floor plan" concepts which may be not appropriate for C&S. Though the standard language says "A floor plan highlighting recycling storage areas is required to document prerequisite compliance.", to me, this does not require the collection area to be interior. A site plan with exterior collection identified has worked in my experience.
As to providing the narrative with "generalities about possible tenants" volume, this element has become heavily reviewed. I think each project has to definitively describe and defend how they arrived at their volumes, to determine space areas, as each project is unique due to activities and local services.

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the response. I do tend to be literal but I agree that the volume issues are being heavily reviewed on all our varied projects. And the two elements together are what has led to my confusion about the floor plan vs. the site plan approach.

Our project is a speculative warehouse C&S. No tenants are currently known or contemplated. The space could have 1 or as many as 4 future tenants. I have absolutely no way to describe or defend volumes at all. All I would have done in the past is show the outside trash enclosure and size.

Other than to say that the size of the outside enclosure is based on the overall size of the warehouse and local jurisdication, what else could I possibly say about unknown tenant volumes?

I think you are the expert on your project and can identify the type of tenant you are targeting, their staffing levels anticipated from your experience and planning, and even the tenants typical activities that generate the addressed recyclables. No LEED Reviewer can know better about your project that you, so be confident, and clear, and you should not have to "defend".

I appreciate the optimism, Lisa. Our warehouse projects span quite a range of different potential tenant types from manufacturing to distribution to storage. All with very different profiles.

As you say, we are the experts on our project and what makes sense or doesn't in terms of information to require or provide with respect to an issue like this. I'll be sure and post the results of review comments. Thanks.