During construction while excavating for placement of compacted sub-grade and asphalt, limestone was found on our project site. Due to its location and interference with the parking surface elevation, the rock was removed and donated to the local county which was used for permanent erosion control on a different project site. Although the reference guide disregards excavated soil and land clearing debris from this credit, we propose that the limestone as a product differs from the "land clearing debris" because it is a material which can be recycled into another product that otherwise would have had to been extracted and manufactured. We believe that this attribute of the limestone allows it to count as a "reusable material". We also believe that the donation and redirection of the limestone as a reusable material for a different site, not only meets the intent of this credit by diverting waste, but is also an acceptable manner (as defined by the reference guide) by which to qualify for the credit as it is "redirecting reusable materials to appropriate sites". In keeping with the intent of this credit, can we include this rock in our MRc2 Construction Waste Management Calculations?
**Update October 1, 2013: This ruling is no longer valid. Please see LI 10062 for more information and an update ruling.
The project is proposing to include excavated limestone as diverted construction waste because it was given to another project to be used as permanent erosion control on another project. The LEED Reference Guide explicitly defines rock as land clearing debris and thus it can not be included in credit calculations. Previous CIR rulings dated 9/9/2008 and 3/4/2004 state the same conclusion.