LEED and Recycling on Your Jobsite – Best Practices
By Cameron Smith, Project Manager, LEED AP
A construction site can be an extremely hectic place at times. Deliveries are being made, materials are being installed, and construction debris is hauled away; all which require proper communication and coordination. Throw LEED in the mix and these daily tasks and routines can turn into a lot of extra paperwork, emails and phone calls.
I’m contacted on a weekly basis from colleagues stating they just started a LEED job and they need help with their program. This added layer of requirements and documentation seems cumbersome at times, but it doesn’t have to be. This post will focus on Construction Waste Management techniques that can be followed to ensure that this credit is achieved with minimal time input.
Construction Waste Management – MR Credit 2
Depending on your project, the LEED Rating System could require that 50-95% of your construction waste be recycled or diverted from the landfill. If you do not have a waste hauler lined up for your project yet, do it now. Communicating the project recycling requirements to your waste hauler and confirming that they have had experience with LEED projects is crucial to achieving this credit. Your waste hauler will be your main source of information and data collection for this credit. Almost all waste haulers will weigh, track and document all material that leaves your project site for you, requiring only your weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly review of the reports they generate. Some owners, such as the government, require specific reports to be completed on a monthly basis which reflect information on all the material that leaves the construction site; from material type to the location of the recycler. Ensure that you request all the owner required information from your waste hauler so that all you have to do is transfer the required information to the acceptable report template.
Next, you will want to establish a “Waste Management Plan.” Sit down with your waste hauler and project team to spell out the below items in detail:
- Who will be the onsite Waste Management Coordinator and define their duties?
- What are the project’s performance requirements? (e.g Recycle 75% of construction debris.)
- How will this plan be communicated onsite?
- What are the reporting requirements?
- What are the material handling, transportation, and disposal requirements?
- Who will be the possible material recyclers?
- What material will most likely need to be recycled?
- What are any additional management/administrative requirements?
Once the plan is in place and prior to construction, you will need to coordinate a “Construction Waste Management Conference” with all subcontractors. In this meeting you will discuss the Waste Management Plan and make the subcontractors aware of their responsibilities throughout the duration of the project. Minutes from this meeting should be taken and distributed to all parties in attendance.
Once construction begins, the plan should be discussed weekly at each subcontractor meeting, along with updated totals of the current recycling percentages. Daily audits of the jobsite dumpsters should also be performed to ensure that the proper materials are being placed in their associated dumpsters. If your site does not allow for multiple dumpsters to sort materials, most waste haulers will allow materials to be commingled into one dumpster for an additional fee.
You will want to review your waste hauler’s reports to ensure that your project is meeting its goals. If you are not meeting the project goals, consider having and additional or midterm Construction Waste Management Conference.
Establishing a plan early in the project and communicating it throughout its duration will allow this credit to be the least of your worries.
