The SWM policy should include a quality assurance and control procedure by which the responsible parties ensure that furniture is donated or recycled and doesn’t end up in the landfill stream and that electronic goods are not placed in regular trash dumpsters.
The SWM policy should require the responsible party to verify that the contracted hauler is recycling electronic equipment in a responsible manner and is not sending these materials overseas for unsafe processing in developing countries. More information on selecting a responsible electronics recycler can be found through the e-Stewards organization. (See Resources.)
The discussion about recycling of durable goods must cover furniture as well as electronics and office equipment, per MRc8. Project teams often make the mistake of focusing only on electronic equipment and ignore the importance of promoting
Tenant waste that is handled by a separate waste hauler does not need to be covered in the policy, but project teams must identify in documentation which portions of the building are not governed by this policy.
The SWM policy must also address goals and procedures for recycling mercury-containing lamps, which are not covered by one of these credits (although their purchase is covered by MRc4: Sustainable Purchasing—Reduced Mercury in Lamps).
The SWM policy must cover the waste streams that are within the building and site management’s control covered by these credits (see those credits for detailed descriptions of these waste streams):
MRc7: Solid Waste Management—Ongoing Consumables
MRc8: Solid Waste Management—Durable Goods
MRc9: Solid Waste Management—Facility Alterations and Additions
LEED-EBOM does not require your policy to commit to the compliance thresholds for SWM credits (such as 50% of ongoing consumables). For this prerequisite, diversion targets may be set to any level that is appropriate for your building, as long as they are publicly articulated in the SWM policy.
