I have a letter that states company x is confirming its steel used is from making plants utilizes the electric resistance welding to recycle ferrous (iron based) scrap metal.
total post consumer content of recycled ferrous scrap is 96%
total pre consumer content of recycled ferrous scrap is 3%
total content of pig iron is 1%
The leed reference guide states the following:
"Resuing materials reclaimed from the same process in which they are generated - though good practice - does not contribute toward the recycled content of the material. In other words putting waste back into the same manufacturing process from which it came is not considered recycling because it was not diverted from the waste stream. Reuse of materials includes rework, regrind, or scrap product" - Page 371 of the reference guide
Questions:
1) Does my steel meet the requirements of MR 4 ? Can my steel contribute toward/s Mr 4?
2) Can someone please give me an example of "resuse of materials includes rework, regrind, or scrap product"
3) The above states "putting waste back into the same manufacturing process from which it came is not considered recycling?" ... Putting waste back into the same manufacturing process is the definition of pre-consumer recycled content? Do you agree? Can someone plz elaborate.
Keith Lindemulder
Environmental Business Development- LEED AP BD&CNucor Corporation
193 thumbs up
September 8, 2014 - 12:12 pm
"Electric resisitance welding" would be a method to connect two pieces of steel. I suspect the document either says "electric arc furnace" or it's a bad translation.
What you have documents recycled content not "reuse". An example of reuse would be collecting steel beams from one job and repurposing them for another (or same) job WITHOUT melting the scrap. They could have been the structure of the old building and the same in the new building or the old structural beams can be a new ramp over some gap. They don't need to be used for the same purpose.
Either way the steel you have would qualify under MR4 as recycled content.
Alfonzo Collins
7 thumbs up
February 10, 2015 - 4:52 pm
Keith, a quick question, because we have a similar situation to your example going on right now: the quarry that mines limestone would normally take the extra waste limestone and discard it. Instead, they are selling it to our project building. So by your definition, this would not qualify as recycled materials, because they are being repurposed for a different job without remanufacturing them. But...would this limestone qualify as reused materials for MRc3? If not, is there any LEED benefit to our using this limestone which would otherwise be thrown out in a landfill?
Keith Lindemulder
Environmental Business Development- LEED AP BD&CNucor Corporation
193 thumbs up
February 10, 2015 - 5:30 pm
Alfonzo, it sounds like the limestone could be considered "pre-consumer" recycled content since you are eliminating material from the waste stream that was headed to a landfill as a result of a "manufacturing process". However another criteria is that the products need to fit into CSI divisions 03-10, 31.60,00, 32.10.00, 32,30,00 or 32.90.00. I'm guessing the "extra waste limestone" the quarry is supplying to the job is for some kind of fill? If so, that is likely CSI Division 02 and wouldn't be counted anyway (same divisions apply to MR3 too).
The reference manual has some pretty good examples of what counts and what doesn't if I recall. The above is just my opinion and others may have another idea or better information.
RETIRED
LEEDuser Expert
623 thumbs up
February 15, 2015 - 9:12 am
Alfonzo - If you can get over the CSI Divisions issue for this material, then I think you need to consider the issue of the LEED definition for pre-consumer next. I am concerned that this material can truly be considered recycled - but instead would be considered scrap, which is not allowed. Please refer to the LEED Reference Guide for the complete definition because I don't think you can see it above as a LEEDuser Guest. Also, if you can get over the CSI Division issue, you might want to pose your question about reused on the MRc3 forum.