Orienting the GC to the tracking tools early on and providing on-going support to the CWM effort is critical to success.

Waste prevention is an important part of CWM.

If separation is occurring off-site at a comingled or mixed-debris processing plant, make sure the processor or recycling facility can provide documentation for the amount of waste processed, by weight or by volume, as agreed, as well as a diversion rate from the facility. This could be either a project-specific diversion rate supplied by the facility, or a letter from the state regulating body with the facility's average rate of recycling.

For guidance on how to write LEED specifications and CWM requirements into construction documents, see MasterSpec (see Resources).

Integrate CWM plan and MRc2 requirements into the construction specifications.

Hire a general contractor early in the project to discuss the deconstruction process and phasing.

Early in the project, the architect should be involved in the plan to schedule construction and deconstruction with the contractor.

The project team should discuss the appropriate recycling process, including whether sorting will occur on or off site. This decision may be made after the general contractor joins the team. Both options have pros and cons (see table).

Deconstruction can take longer than demolition. Project teams should estimate whether the extra labor spent on deconstruction can be offset by the value of the salvaged materials. Other benefits to weigh include the environmental benefits of reduced waste and avoiding use of new resources, and publicity benefits for materials reuse.

There are industry standards on good practices for deconstruction as well as directories of experienced contractors, such as the Deconstruction Institute (see Resources).