CS-2009 MRc3: Materials Reuse

  • CS_MRc3_Typex_MaterialReuse Diagram

  • This credit only works for the right kind of project

    If salvaged materials are appropriate for your project, this credit should be easy enough to achieve. But you have to use a lot of salvaged materials to reach the threshold, so it's most feasible for small projects that target sources of salvaged materials early in the design process. Even then, it can be tricky because these are not the sort of things you can specify and count on being able to order from a supplier--the contractor or owner usually has to procure and stockpile salvaged items when they become available. That has to happen early enough that they can be included in the design, which is often long before they are needed on the job site.

    Some projects also run into trouble with the fact that salvaged items aren't rated for structural strength or flame resistance. Wood timbers often have to be graded based on a visual inspection by a licensed lumber grader, and samples of other products may have to be tested. If you can overcome all those hurdles, however, the results are often very rewarding, as salvaged items add character and instant charisma to a project.

     “Reused” vs. “recycled”

    It’s not unusual to have some confusion about the difference between “reused” and “recycled”—often the terms are (incorrectly) used interchangeably—but there is a distinct difference, especially for the purposes of LEED.

    Recycled refers to anything that contains recycled materials as a result of the manufacturing process—carpet that contains recycled material, for example, could be made from post-consumerWaste generated by end users (households or commercial, industrial and institutional facilities) of a product no longer able to be used for its intended purpose that is recycled into raw material for a new product. recycled plastic bottles.

    Reused material is something that has been reused or repurposed from another location or a different role—like antique doors salvaged from an old church, raised floor pedestals saved from one office project and sold to another, or office partitions from your relocated from a previous office to a new one.

    Pricing can be tricky

    When you’re trying to determine the cost value of reused, salvaged, or donated materials, you may run into some difficulties, especially in finding replacement costs for comparable new products. It’s helpful to work with a construction pricing expert who may already have cost estimates on hand.

    Another choice you will need to make is whether to value reused items at their actual cost or at the replacement cost. In some cases, it may not make much of a difference—the reused materials may be of similar value to the price of a comparable new item. But in other cases—for example, if you’ve purchased antique woodwork—the cost of the salvaged item may actually be significantly higher than the replacement cost of a comparable new item. Make sure to examine the actual and replacement cost of each item so that you know which will be most advantageous to your earning the credit.

    Piggybacking credits—with limits

    In most cases, materials that have multiple environmental attributes can be applied to as many of the MR credits as they relate to. That is still true in most cases, but for this credit, there are limitations. Materials that apply to this credit cannot be applied toward: 

    • MRc1.2: Building Reuse—Maintain Interior Nonstructural Components,
    • MRc4: Recycled Content,
    • or MRc6: Certified WoodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System..

    On the other hand, reused materials often contribute to these credits in addition to MRc3:

    • MRc2: Construction Waste Management. Materials qualify if salvaged onsite.
    • MRc5: Regional Materials: Materials can qualify—use the vendor or salvage location as the “manufacturing” location, and use the place from where the materials were salvaged from as the “extraction” location. 

    Don’t confuse materials reuse with building reuse

    There is also frequent confusion between MRc3: Materials Reuse and MRc1.1: Building Reuse whenever salvaged materials are recovered from the demolition of a project site. It’s an important distinction:

    • MRc3: Material Reuse can involve material that is salvaged onsite and used again onsite for another purpose or in another location. The onsite salvaged material can count towards both MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management. For example, if a project demolishes a building and saves all the wood doors from going to the landfill, then turns the salvaged doors into countertops for the new construction, the salvaged doors count both credits.  
    • MRc1: Building Reuse can involve preserving part of a building or a material onsite and reusing it for its original purpose, or leaving it in its original location. The preserved portion of the building, or the material, only counts toward MRc1: Building Reuse (but not toward MRc3: Material Reuse or MRc2: Construction Waste Management). For example, if a project demolishes part of an existing building, leaving all interior walls with the existing doors intact to be used for the new building, the doors count only as building reuse. 

Legend

  • Best Practices
  • Gotcha
  • Action Steps
  • Cost Tip

Pre-Design

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  • Evaluate what materials the project will use that might be targeted for reuse. Set goals in the owner’s project requirements regarding salvaged materials. This can include material recovered from demolition, materials that can be reused as part of a relocation, or materials that are acquired from architectural salvage vendors, donations, or other projects.  

Schematic Design

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  • Research the availability of appropriate salvaged materials for your project. See the Resources section for sites that can help with this.

  • While salvaged materials—such as a reclaimed raised-floor frame—may be hidden from the end user’s view, other salvaged materials can add historic character to a space when displayed prominently, such as reclaimed wood flooring. Both types of reuse offer environmental benefits.

Design Development

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  • Begin creating a baseline materials budget. Even if you don’t know the actual material costs, it will be helpful to establish estimates at this stage. You can use a spreadsheet to help create the baseline budget and track its environmental benefits, such as the one offered in the Documentation Toolkit. 

  • Your baseline material budget assumptions and material costs should be consistent across MRc3–7. The LEED Online credit form helps ensure this, as you only enter the information once for multiple MR credits.

  • Include in your materials baseline budget the materials cost (excluding labor) of all items that apply under CSI Master Spec 2004 (see the Resources section for a breakdown of CSI divisions):

    • Divisions 3–10, 
    • Sections 31.60: Foundations
    • 32.10: Paving 
    • 32.30: Site Improvements
    • 32.90: Planting
    • Division 12: Furniture is optional. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and equipment costs are also excluded.  

  • Analyze the initial cost budget to know what materials the project can target and incorporate the LEED requirements accordingly into construction specs for the specific materials. The contractor will appreciate not filling out forms for materials that are not reused, or that have so little cost value that it is a waste of time. 

  • Adding Division 12: Furniture to your baseline materials budget for MRc3 is optional, but must be applied consistently (either included or excluded in every case) across MRc3–7. Analyze your baseline materials budget to see if adding Division 12: furniture works to your project’s advantage. Generally, if the furniture helps contribute to the above MR credits, it is in a project’s interest to take credit for it.

  • You have two options in creating a baseline budget—the default budget, or the actual budget (excluding labor). The default budget method gives you a baseline materials budget as 45% of your total budget, while the actual budget gives you a baseline based on what you actually spend.  

  • A default budget is useful if you don’t want to break out the cost of materials and labor separately. You can take the total cost (material plus labor) of all items in the applicable CSI divisions and assume that cost of materials is 45% and labor cost is 55%.

  • Drawing up the default budget is less time-consuming because the contractor does not have to break out materials versus labor costs, allowing the project to focus on tracking only the materials that contribute to LEED credits. However, this option may put the project at a disadvantage if the materials cost is actually less than 45% of the total cost, in which case you would get credit for less than the full cost value of your materials. 

  • You can alternatively use the actual materials budget (excluding labor) of all materials purchased in the applicable CSI categories.  

  • The actual budget method can be more time-consuming for the contractor because it requires tracking the actual costs of all materials purchased, even those in the applicable CSI divisions that do not necessarily contribute to LEED credits.

  • How do you decide whether to use the actual or the default materials budget as your baseline? The lower you can get the baseline, the easier it is to purchase enough reused material to reach the credit threshold. For example, if a project is renovating an existing building that will have low material costs and high labor costs, it may be better to use the actual rather than the default approach, because the 45% default may bring the baseline too high.

  • Look at your baseline materials budget to determine how much reused material you need to incorporate into your project. Decide how much you want to spend on reused materials and establish what reused materials are available. To earn one point, allocate 5% of your materials budget. Identify the items in your preliminary budget that could be donated, reused, or salvaged. Do these items add up to the amount needed to get one LEED point?  

  • It is optional for projects to value reused or salvaged materials at their replacement cost for the LEED calculation. For example, whether a project purchased or received a donation of decorative ceiling tiles, the material value would be the same as what it would cost to replace the donated materials with something new. Of course, it may also be beneficial to use the actual salvage price, when it is higher than the new material replacement cost; a good example is antique woodwork.

  • Determining the cost of a replacement item leaves some room for interpretation, but the replacement must be a comparable product. For example, you cannot value the replacement of standard acoustic ceiling tile at the cost of a hand-painted, gold-encrusted ceiling tile.

  • Reused materials may require refurbishing and, in turn, add costs to the owner. Include refurbishing costs in the total cost or value of the material.

  • Include a cushion for this credit, in case of changes in design and purchasing. For example, if you are counting on points for using 5% reused materials, plan for 10% of your budget to be spent on reused materials to avoid coming up short.

  • Using an estimated budget to integrate reused or salvaged materials into the design and specs early on can help prevent costly change orders during construction. 

  • Use your estimated budget as a guide throughout the project. You don’t want to fail to earn this credit because you waited until after purchasing materials before calculating whether you have enough reused and salvaged materials to gain the LEED credit. 

  • Focus on “big ticket” items when seeking reused materials for the LEED credit. Materials like wood flooring or structural lumber that meet the reuse requirement may represent enough value to earn the credit. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, which greatly reduces contractor headaches. If big-ticket items are not enough, target a medium-priced item next, and so on, until you reach your goal.

  • A single product or material can contribute to multiple credits. For example, wood flooring salvaged locally contributes to MRc3: Material Reuse as well as MRc5: Regional Material. Focusing on products and materials with multiple environmental attributes also can limit the overall number of items that you need to track. 

  • Onsite salvaged materials automatically contribute to both MRc5: Regional Material and MRc2: Construction Waste Management.

  • Research the availability of salvaged items to serve the project’s needs. 

  • Don’t confuse “recycled content material” with “material reuse”; the two terms have very different meanings:

    • Recycled Content is material containing recycled content as a result of the industrial process of making the product—for example; recycled-content carpet may be made of post consumer recycled plastic bottles. 
    • Material Reuse is the use or repurposing of material from a previous place or role—for example, buying antique wood doors salvaged from an old church. 

    MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc1: Building Reuse are often confused when salvaged materials are recovered from the demolition of a project site. 

    • MRc3: Material Reuse can involve material that is salvaged onsite and used again onsite for another purpose or in another location. The onsite salvaged material can count towards both MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management. For example, if a project demolishes a building and saves all the wood doors, then turns the salvaged doors into countertops for the new construction, the salvaged doors count both toward MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management—as the doors were also diverted from a landfill when used in the new construction.  
    • MRc1: Building Reuse can involve preserving part of a building or a material onsite and reusing it for its original purpose, or leaving it in its original location. The preserved portion of the building, or the material, only counts toward MRc1: Building Reuse (but not toward MRc3: Material Reuse or MRc2: Construction Waste Management). For example, if a project demolishes part of an existing building, leaving all interior walls with the existing doors intact to be used for the new building, the doors count only as building reuse.

     

  • Salvaged items may not come with product warranties.

  • If using salvaged materials, make sure the durability of the product has not been compromised and material contains no harmful contaminants, or you may have to replace the salvaged item with a new product all too soon.

  • Assemblies

  • When a product is made of multiple components that may or may not be all reused, use the following special considerations.

  • Request that manufacturers provide assembly information broken down by weight. 

Construction Documents

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  • Revisit your baseline materials budget as the design evolves to make sure that the numbers remain accurate and that you’re on track to achieve your goal for the credit.

  • Research specific products. Incorporate reused materials requirements into individual construction specifications.

  • MasterSpec and the federal Whole Building Design Guide (see Resources) offer guidance and sample specification language on how to incorporate LEED specifications in construction documents.

  • Incorporating the LEED requirements directly into the drawings and specs is a good way to remind the contractor and subcontractors of the requirements. 

  • Whenever possible, designate in the construction specifications that contractors use specific sources you have verified as suppliers of reused items. This will help save research time for the contractors.

  • Include submittal requirements within each targeted construction spec section and add general requirements to the division 1 bid package. Include a copy of any submittal documents that the contractor may need to fill out.

Construction

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  • Preparation Before Construction Begins

  • The general contractor (GC) should be oriented to all LEED construction-related issues, such as IAQ management, low-emitting materials, environmental materials tracking tools, and construction waste management. 

  • LEED documentation and materials tracking are usually the GC’s responsibility even though specific materials selection may have been already determined by the architect or designer.

  • The GC should hold an orientation meeting with the subcontractors to review the LEED responsibilities related specifically to their trades. This exercise helps to build trust and is crucial for obtaining buy-in from all participants in the process.

  • Give the GC and subcontractors the following tools to help them track materials data for all MR and IEQ credits. (See the Documentation Toolkit for access.)

    • Materials Calculator:  This is a master tracking spreadsheet that the GC can use internally to compile product information received from the subcontractors. The spreadsheet tracks LEED values across multiple LEED MR and IEQ credits.
    • Environmental Materials Reporting Form: This is a material tracking form that helps subcontractors record the environmental values for products they purchase. This can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing. 
    • Low-Emitting Materials Reporting Form: This is a VOC tracking sheet that helps subcontractors record the low-emitting qualities of the products they purchase and can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing.
    • Low-Emitting Material Limits: These tables, found with each credit here on LEEDuser, summarize the maximum VOC limits for different types of adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, composite wood, and flooring products. When subcontractors search for low-emitting products, they should consult these charts.

  • Enabling coordination and communication among the GC, subcontractors and design team early in the process can minimize scheduling delays and pushback from subcontractors.

  • Before construction begins, research the availability of any additional reused and salvage materials that you may not have found during the design phase. If product decisions are made after construction begins, there may be less time to carefully review data sheets and much greater risk of using a noncompliant product.

  • During Construction

  • The contractor starts gathering and environmental data and cut sheets from subcontractors for approval. 

  • The GC functions as the overall quality assurance provider for this credit. Responsibilities include conducting weekly reviews of subcontractor product submittals and tracking forms.

  • Review subcontractor product suggestions ahead of time to avoid the purchase of inappropriate materials and eliminate the need for costly change orders.  

  • Streamline documentation and research by taking data gathered from subs via the Environmental Materials Reporting Form and transfer it into a master spreadsheet for all the items being tracked for each product across MR and IEQ credits. For example, you may need to ask the millworker for regional information for MRc5, certified wood information for MRc7, and information about adhesives installed on site for IEQc4.1. If one spreadsheet collects all the data, it can streamline your documentation, associated research, and help with quality control. Use the Materials Calculator spreadsheet in the Documentation Toolkit.

  • A master spreadsheet facilitates information collection for subcontractors, giving them a road map of exactly what types of information to collect for each product.  

  • Assign a responsible party to input the subcontractors’ tracking forms into the Materials Calculator (see Documentation Toolkit). A LEED consultant or an administrative assistant in the GC’s office may be the best choice for this role.

  • Breaking out specific materials costs (excluding labor) for construction materials that contribute to LEED credits is a requirement for LEED MR credits. Some subcontractors prefer not to do this because there are always hidden markups in the materials that subcontractors purchase at wholesale. However, you can simply include the product markup when breaking out a product’s material cost from installation and labor costs.

  • Transfer all the data collected in the Materials Calculator spreadsheet (see Documentation Toolkit) to the LEED Online form and upload the product cut sheets. 

  • Only a random 20% sampling of product cut sheets need to be uploaded to LEED Online to document this credit.

  • Even though LEED Online only asks for 20% of the cut sheets to be uploaded, all material cut sheets should be saved as backup data and may be requested of the project during the USGBC’s credit reviews.

Operations & Maintenance

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  • Keep a list of reused and salvaged materials so that O&M staff can use these products and supply sources for future renovations.

  • Develop salvaged material procurement recommendations into a purchasing policy.  If pursuing LEED-EBOM certification, this will contribute to MRp1: Sustainable Purchasing Policy.

  • USGBC

    Excerpted from LEED 2009 for Core and Shell Development

    COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    MR Credit 3: Materials reuse

    1 Point

    Intent

    To reuse building materials and products to reduce demand for virgin materials and reduce waste, thereby lessening impacts associated with the extraction and processing of virgin resources.

    Requirements

    Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials, the sum of which constitutes at least 5%, based on cost, of the total value of materials on the project.

    Mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, and specialty items such as elevators and equipment cannot be included in this calculation. Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse through MR Credit 6: Certified WoodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System..

    Potential Technologies & Strategies

    Identify opportunities to incorporate salvaged materials into the building design and research potential material suppliers. Consider salvaged materials such as beams and posts, flooring, paneling, doors and frames, cabinetry and furniture, brick, and decorative items.

Organizations

Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) — Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers

Support on incorporating LEED requirements into specifications. 

CSI Divisions

This is a detailed list of the types of items that fall under the various CSI divisions.

Web Tools

NY Waste Match

Think online dating, but for waste materials.  This is a New York City source for individuals to post waste they have that others may want.

Deconstruction Institute

This is a resource database of contractors proficient with deconstruction and recipients seeking material.

Construction Waste Depot

CMDepot is a place where you can buy and sell excess construction material, tools, and equipment.  You simply log in, submit a listing of your excess material, and wait for a buyer.  If a buyer contacts you, you can work out payment details and a delivery method.

Reclaimed Material Consultant/Broker

PlanetReuse is a nationwide reclaimed construction material broker and consultant company. At no cost to the design team, they match materials with designers, builders and owners to serve LEED efforts, save money, and sustain the planet. They make it easier to use a wide variety of reclaimed materials in new projects as well as help find new projects for building materials being deconstructed, guiding clients through every step of the process.

Materials Calculator

Teams can use this tool to track all materials across various MR and IEQ credits. It helps teams develop a roadmap of what information needs to be tracked for different products. It can also be used early on to create the baseline budget and ensure the products that are being used will apply to the various credit thresholds.

Environmental Materials Reporting Form

This is a materials tracking form that helps subcontractors record the environmental values of products they purchase. This can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing.

Letter to Contractor for MR and IEQ Credits

Use a letter like this sample to orient the contractor to their responsibilities for all MR and IEQ credits. This letter is an introduction that can be customized for the credits your project is pursuing.

Low-Emitting Materials Reporting Form

This is a VOC tracking sheet that helps subcontractors record the low-emitting qualities of the products they purchase and can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing. Use it specifically for earning low-emitting materials credits, but in conjunction with documentation for MR credits.

Materials Reuse Assembly Calculator

If reused materials are part of an assembly but not the whole thing, use this calculator to determine the cost value of the assembly that can count toward MRc3.

LEED Online Forms: CS-2009 MR

The following links take you to the public, informational versions of the dynamic LEED Online forms for each CS-2009 MR credit. You'll need to fill out the live versions of these forms on LEED
Online for each credit you hope to earn.

Version 4 forms (newest):

Version 3 forms:

These links are posted by LEEDuser with USGBC's permission. USGBC has certain usage restrictions for these forms; for more information, visit LEED Online and click "Sample Forms Download."

Construction Submittal

HardhatDocumentation for this credit is part of the Construction Phase submittal.

15 Comments

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Megan Bove Racanelli Construction
Jan 21 2013
LEEDuser Member
76 Thumbs Up

Would this be suitable use for this credit for a CS project?

We have 665 open ended 8 inch diameter steel pipe piles that were originally made for oil drilling but were discarded because they did not meet oil drilling tolerances. They will be used for steel piles underground... Would this count towards this credit or is there somewhere else this would be used?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jan 21 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Megan, I'd say it's a bit of a borderline case, because typically under this credit we see materials being used in one application, and then reused in another application. Whereas in this situation, the pipes haven't yet been used.

I'd say that if they were truly made for oil drilling, and aren't identical to pipes that would normally be used for piles, then there is a reasonable case to claim them for the credit.

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Megan Bove Racanelli Construction Jan 21 2013 LEEDuser Member 76 Thumbs Up

Would they then be considered for recycled content if not for this credit?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jan 21 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Only to the extent that they contain recycled content (and it's likely that they do). They couldn't be claimed as recycled in whole by way of how they are being repurposed. I'd sooner make the case for reuse.

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Jeremy Theodore Senior Project Architect SHW Group
Jan 10 2013
Guest
22 Thumbs Up

Fly Ash

Same question, but I assume fly ash used in concrete is considered recycled content?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jan 11 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Fly ash is usually counted under recycled content. I would not consider it reuse.

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Jeremy Theodore Senior Project Architect SHW Group
Jan 10 2013
Guest
22 Thumbs Up

Crushed Concrete used

If existing site (or off-site) concrete is crushed and used for sub-grade base, is that re-used or recycled? IE, is the act of "crushing" the concrete considered part of the "manufacturing" process, or is the fact that it is still concrete in just a different form mean that it is being "repurposed"?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jan 11 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

I think it's possible to make a case for counting crushed concrete as material reuse, but I think it's a stretch.

Reading between the lines, the credit is really intended to give credit for using materials in a way that extends their useful life cycle at a similar level of value to a new material. For example, taking wood from beams and remilling it as flooring, or taking a door or a piece of furniture and reusing it in another location. Taking used bricks and using them again as bricks.

I don't think that crushing concrete that was being used in a specific application and using it as as aggregate, is really in the same category of repurposing architectural details. You're already getting credit under MRc2 and MRc5, so it's not as if this is going unrewarded.

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Heather DeGrella Director of Sustainable Education, GreenCE, Inc. Jun 10 2013 LEEDuser Member 56 Thumbs Up

Hi Jeremy,
According to the Reference Guide, crushed concrete used as subbase is an example of a "Remanufactured material" and may contribute to Reused Materials. Hope that helps-

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Christian Brücher LEED AP / LEED AP BD+C ARCADIS Deutschland GmbH
May 02 2012
LEEDuser Member
384 Thumbs Up

Reused Windows from the Project Building

Hello,

following situation: We have a CS project, where we will have a new construction part and a building renovation. In the existing part the windows will be salvaged, get new heat-insulating glass (instead of single glazing) and will be reused. Are these "upgraded" windows eligible for MRc3 as we do not have the chance to take them into account for MRc1?

I am not sure if I can calculate with these windows in MRc3 as on the one hand we do not have a different purpose or location, but on the other hand the Reference Guide (p. 365) states: "Other reused materials found on-site. Components that are retained and continue to serve their original function, such as door hardware, are eligible for this credit.".

Could anyone help? Thanks!

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE May 03 2012 LEEDuser Expert 1069 Thumbs Up

Christian,
Have to admit you have stumped me on this one. I am thinking you might ultimately benefit from the upgraded windows via the energy model. But I agree, technically you fall into the "Other reused materials found on-site. Components that are retained and continue to serve their original function, such as door hardware, are eligible for this credit."

Does anyone else have experience to lend to this?

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Christian Brücher LEED AP / LEED AP BD+C, ARCADIS Deutschland GmbH May 03 2012 LEEDuser Member 384 Thumbs Up

Thanks Susie,meanwhile I found in the NC-section, that everyone agrees, that there is a typo in the RG and that it should read "are not eligible"...

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Julie Hendricks Director of EcoServices Kirksey
May 09 2011
LEEDuser Member
677 Thumbs Up

Remnant Limestone- any LEED credit there?

My client wants to use remnant limestone (basically pieces of limestone left over when larger pieces are cut) for exterior siding. My instinct tells me these pieces won't count as either salvaged or recycled, but I'm posting this in case anyone has a different experience.

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Emily Catacchio Sustainability Specialist, Wight and Company May 09 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

If the remnant limestone is considered a manufacturing waste product then I think it would count towards recycled materials. Though not for this credit as it would not count as a reused material—unless it is being cut from pieces of limestone on the project site.

So, if you were going to apply it to MRc4: Recycled Content, then it would need to meet one of the following definitions:

Preconsumer material is defined as material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process. Reutilization of materials (i.e., rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it) is excluded.

Postconsumer material is defined as waste material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose.

Check out the MRc4 page here, and if you come up with more questions I would recommend posting them there.

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Julie Hendricks Director of EcoServices, Kirksey May 10 2011 LEEDuser Member 677 Thumbs Up

I'll call the manufacturer and get details about how the remnants are generated. It seems like this would count as "reutilization" more than anything else.

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