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Guideline M.3: Waste Reduction and Management

Intent

To minimize use of resources and negative environmental impacts through design decisions and careful reduction and management of waste generated during the construction process and building occupancy.

Required Performance Criteria1

  1. Material Conservation and Waste Management Plan2
    Create a material conservation and waste management plan that includes the sections outlined below:

    1. A plan to adaptively reuse an existing structure or salvage and reuse materials from an existing structure being demolished or deconstructed onsite.
    2. A plan to select materials with appropriate durability for service life. In many cases, state-funded buildings are intended to have a 50–100 year service life for the structure and envelope.
    3. A plan to specify the use of prefabricated products, preassembled products, and/or modular building units to minimize construction waste onsite.
    4. A plan that addresses both partial deconstruction (for renovations) and total deconstruction (for end-of-life removal) of the building to maximize the reuse and recycling of building components and materials. Indicate specific strategies to facilitate disassembly.
    5. A construction waste management plan that includes the following:
      1. Specification of materials to be diverted from disposal by efficient usage, recycling, reuse, manufacturer’s reclamation, or salvage for future use, donation or sale.
      2. Specification of the percentage of materials to be diverted ; calculate by weight or volume, but not both. Include separate average percentages for those materials collected by construction and demolition materials processing facilities that end up as alternative daily cover and incineration.
    6. An operational waste plan that includes the following:
      1. Description of waste streams and discuss how waste will be minimized and diverted from disposal (recycled, composted, reverse distribution).
      2. Description of the collection plan including a collection plan for consumables and durables (this can be done at a campus or organization scale).
  2. Construction Waste Reduction
    At least 75% of nonhazardous construction and demolition waste must be diverted from landfill. The percentage of materials diverted can be calculated by weight or volume, but not both.3 For the purposes of this section, construction materials and waste include, but are not limited to (1) all materials delivered to the site and intended for installation prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, including related packaging; (2) construction materials and waste removal during demolition or razing. For the purposes of this section, construction and waste materials do not include land-clearing debris (including trees, rocks, and vegetation), excavated soils, and fill and base materials such as topsoil, sand, and gravel. Waste used as alternative daily cover or in waste-to-energy incineration will not be counted as diverted material.4

[1] This section is aligned with International Green Construction Code (IGCC) and ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Section “1006.1 Deconstruction and demolition material and waste management plan.” Areas that differ are noted in subsequent footnotes.

[2] Differs from the IGCC requirements.

[3] Differs from the IGCC requirements.

[4] Differs from the IGCC requirements.

Recommended Performance Criteria

  1. Additional Construction Waste Reduction
    At least 90% of nonhazardous construction and demolition waste must be diverted from landfill. The percentage of materials diverted can be calculated by weight or volume, but not both.

During Predesign, ensure that adequate space is planned for dedicated recycling areas, processing and holding space, and reverse distribution space in the building. Begin to draft a Material Conservation and Waste Management Plan.

At site selection, evaluate the potential for adaptive reuse of an existing structure or salvage and reuse materials from an existing structure being demolished onsite.

Ensure that products are selected and specified that have appropriate durability. Specify the use of prefabricated products, preassembled products, and/or modular building units to minimize construction waste onsite. Incorporate design for disassembly and deconstruction that addresses both partial deconstruction (for renovations) and total deconstruction (for end of life removal). Verify that recycling areas are included in plans.

As the construction documents are being developed, incorporate details and specifications that support the minimization of material use and clearly require construction waste management that meets project requirements. Include specification language mandating compliance with the pursued level of construction waste landfill diversion. Request reduced, reused, or eliminated material packaging. Develop detailing and construction recommendations that minimize material use and maximize performance of materials to support intended goals of durability, disassembly, and use of prefabricated products, preassembled products, and/or modular building units. Compile material and product documentation from the manufacturer, declaring life cycle and warranty recommendations indicating durable life cycle projections for building components. Provide specifications that require contractor submittals highlighting service life of materials installed.

During construction administration monitor submittals to ensure project construction waste diversion meets requirements. Review revisions to program to ensure consistency and compliance with goals and objectives.

Design:

  • M.3A: Material conservation plan.

Final Design:

  • M.3A: Material conservation report (on execution of the material conservation plan), specification mandating waste management plan, and draft of operational waste management plan.

Closeout:

  • M.3A: Operational waste management plan and waste management report
  • M.3B and M.3C: A waste management report documenting actual construction waste disposal and recycling rates of at least 75% diversion (90% if pursuing M.3C), including receipts or other documentation related to diversion through the course of construction.

Appendix M-3b1: Example Specification Language for Construction Waste Management

Appendix M-3b2: Construction Waste Recycling Economics Calculator

Appendix M-3b3: Packaging Waste Recycling Economics Calculator

2015 International Green Construction Code: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IgCC2015

ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings: https://www.ashrae.org/resources–publications/bookstore/standard-189-1

Living Building Challenge includes standards on net positive waste: https://living-future.org/lbc/

EPA Design for Deconstruction Manual

Deconstruction:

The process of systematically disassembling a building, structure, or portion thereof, so that the materials, products, components, assemblies, and modules can be salvaged for repurpose, reuse, or recycling (IGCC 2015).

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