Hi Lauren,
I am usually able to find this information out by contacting the company that is responsible for picking up recycling in the area. They spend a bit of time with me discussing the size of the project, the use, the projected number of occupants and any unique aspects. Once they have this information, they then run some calculations and give me a count of bins or size of a larger bin and ideas for storage within the building. From what I've seen through my certifications and research, the USGBC doesn't seem to have a requirement for per person (if someone has seen a requirement somewhere, I'd love the link!), they just want to know that the Owner understands their waste stream and makes it easy to recycle/reuse.

Michael, it does not have to be a dedicated room with four walls. It can be a dedicated space within a larger space. Something that you can show on your floor plan, and demarcate somehow.

Here's a California source that discusses residential generation rates...
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/wastechar/WasteGenRates/Residential.htm
You do not need to follow the LEED Reference Guide, but rather describe and defend your volume.

It may be important to make recycling easier, and clearer, for building user's too. You should be able to identify on a floor plan where recyclables are collected on the interior, and then stored on the exterior. If the plan is for comingledA process of recycling materials that allows consumers to dispose of various materials (such as paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal) in one container that is separate from waste. The recyclable materials are not sorted until they are collected and brought to a sorting facility. recycling, there may be no need for fencing separating the types.

Yes the CalREcycle and other sources all use weight now - I remember in LEED v2 systems we had info on volumes broken down by all kinds of users like 1.1 cu ft paper/person/week. But I cannot locate my old reference materials ARGH! And the reviewer doesn't seem to see all the empty space in my hoteling office location available for future recyclable storage. The reviewer requests have become pretty frustrating on this subject given that we don't even have to provide the service...

Luis,
Maybe you can find something useful here:

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/wastechar/WasteGenRates/Institution.htm
or
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/healthcare/

Good luck!

The healthcare industry is all over this! First, look at the 2010 Facility Guideline Institute which is the healthcare guideline book. If you're doing a Hospital in the US, you already have this book. Second, check out Practice Greenhealth and the old Green Guide for Healthcare may also have something (LEED HC pilot). The best thing is to work with the materials management people at the hospital and understand what their waste is currently, what their waste streams are and then ask about their red bag waste as a percentage of their total waste stream. (If this is high, then reducing this can produce the savings to implement something else waste related.) Instead of applying a generality, work with the hospital on where they are at now.

Are you at the planning stage or trying to prove that the current conditions meet the capacity of the expansion? Most facilities have a limited loading dock situation that is not being impacted by the expansion project. They also have more flexible haul contracts with their waste haulers. We've successfully used this to earn the pre-req in hospital projects.

Thank Susan , and thank you Nadia as whell , currently we are at the planning stage of the project trying to give a real projection of what magnitude of waste will be , and i have already check de FGI guidelines and the other webpages you recommend, but i have not work yet with the tips you gave me about fieldwork and haulers, that is going to be my next step.
I would like to know if you agree with me about using the following references for waste generation calculations i've found (Nadia links ) from www.calrecycle.ca.gov and other hospital studies:
hospitals produce 0.0108 tons/sq ft /year
or
33.8 pounds /bed/day
I hope this is a correct aproach.

The more recyclables collection the better; you just have to affirm the minimum 5 types (paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, metals) are able to be collected. Comingling of recyclables is fine.

Nadia, a recycling plan is not required for MRp1 so any kind of plan already goes beyond the prereq.

Your best bet would be to use one of the LEED-EBOM solid waste management credits as a model, and either stick with the scope of one or more of those credits, or expand on it, using similar methodology.

Hi Kenneth,
Sounds good to me. Our multifamily strategies are similar. Keep in mind for documentation that reviewers now are most interested in metrics and the collection process inside the building, not just the dumpster enclosure SF and location on site. They'll want to know how much volume of recycling is expected and how big the containers are, along with the process and frequency you've described above. We have been getting our volume estimates from the future waste vendor.

I think you have identified the correct process and necessary steps. Be sure your narrative is clear and mentions if co-mingled collection is occurring.

There was LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. about this- #1803 "Given the location and infrastructure of your project,you will not be required to collect these materials that you cannot recycle. However, it should be noted that even if recycling does not exist [...] in the geographical area, space must be provided in the building in anticipation of recycling resources becoming available in the future. Please be sure to include a narrative with your submittal describing your recycling efforts[...]"

It's in your best interest to be as specific as possible with your documentation. That being said, if you're using co-mingled recycling, then you wouldn't need separate collection areas anyway.

We have come across this same issue lately and it seems some reviewers/cases do want specific volume/capacity approximations.
If the hauler can't give a volume approximation, a way you might be able to do it (not sure if easiest or best at all) is a combination of resources from California Integrated Waste Management Board (Diversion % by Industry Groups http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Disposal/34106006.pdf and Disposal Rates by Biz http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/wastechar/DispRate.htm ) along with a Volume-to-Weight Conversion http://www.recyclemaniacs.org/doc/measurement-tracking/conversions.pdf
It seems there should be a better resource out there?... would like to know as well if anyone has used!

The prerequisite requires a description and drawing that shows the "dedicated recycling storage areas" that are used to collect "paper; corrugated cardboard; glass; plastics; metals"; this may be quite different than the manufacturing process that reclaims pre-consumer material for reuse/recycling.

Depending on the size of the individual buildings, the reviewers may require you to provide designated storage areas with individual buildings that generate a large volume of waste. A main guest lodge with kitchen and dining facilities, for example, would probably need to have its own designated storage area. For other buildings the most important thing is to provide a narrative describing the waste management plan that explains how recyclables are being separated from other waste, collected on site, stored, and then where they go.

Since guest rooms or small outbuildings are probably maintained by housekeeping staff, it might be acceptable to have two labeled waste bins in a room - one for all recyclables, and one for other landfill trash. The narrative will need to describe who collects these, how often, where they are taken, how they are sorted and stored, etc.

Hi David,

Which size would be this? We have a similar situation as Kenneth's - 8 residential towers on a campus, a central restaurant buildings that serves these towers, and a central gym also. I'm wondering now if our resturant will need oits own designated storage area...

Thanks

Joanna, that was true in earlier versions of LEED for Schools but is no longer the case in LEED for Schools 2009 MRp1, or in other BD+C systems.

Follow-up - If the answer is yes to part one of this question:
Is one cabinet or “bin” within the units enough?

Jean, there is no specific requirement for square footage to meet the MRp1 requirements. The recommendations shown above are recommendations, but not binding.

The proper course is to allot enough square footage so that your building's recycling program will be effective. That will be your own judgement call. If all the recycling from the individual units winds up in the central location, I would hesitate to reduce its size, though, since the in-unit bin space is not performing the same function as the central space.

Thanks Tristan,

Presumably the actual collection point will be a recycling dumpster (or dumpsters) outside the building - so a central collection point inside the building would not make sense unless there were one for trash as well - which there is not (this is a four story 16-unit mixed-use building). So I guess the ultimate question is whether or not the collection must be in a centralized location inside the building irregardless of building type to meet the preRequisite?

Jean, when documenting this credit on LEED Online the first thing you'll be asked for is this following narrative:

"Describe the dedicated recycling storage areas in the project building. Include the size of the area, accessibility, and expected volume for the building, as well as collection frequency. Demonstrate that recycling storage areas are appropriately sized and located. Please refer to corresponding reference guide for guidelines on size of recycling storage areas."

To answer your question, I would say no, a centralized interior location is not required by the credit, but you will have to justify your system and reasoning in this narrative.

Tristan - so a separate dumpster outside the building for recycling would qualify, as long as it is appropriately sized?

I am working on a project in a city with no recycling pick-up service, and the LEED Reference guide says that the project should still provide adequate space for future recycling efforts.

Therefore, if I put those two things together, will it be sufficient to provide an empty paved spot next to the garbage dumpster for the future recycling dumpster? All we would need is a site plan showing the potential location of the recycling dumpster (and won't need an interior recycling room). Of course, we would still have the narrative to justify the sizing. Do I understand this correctly? Thank you.

Pete, this approach sounds reasonable to me. Note that the documentation asks not only about size but also location. I think you would want to show (probably in a narrative) that a recycling program in the building would work with the outside dumpster, i.e. that occupants could reasonable access it. If there is some indoor collection point(s), all the better.

Also note that the MRp1 credit language calls for space supporting the collection and storage of several types of materials. A single dumpster seems to assume that the future recycling pickup service would be comingledA process of recycling materials that allows consumers to dispose of various materials (such as paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal) in one container that is separate from waste. The recyclable materials are not sorted until they are collected and brought to a sorting facility., which may not be the case.

So, your approach does sound reasonable, as I said, but I would make sure to really think through all the credit requirements.

I would suggest:
1) One main garbage room, with space to store, sort recyclables and normal garbage - groundfloor or basement depending on access.
2) Per Floor, assuming each floor has a tee kitchen...
2.1) Bin for normal rubbish - in teekitchen
2.2) Bin for co-mingled plastics, packaging, glass, metals - in tee kitchen
3) In office spaces, paper bins

4) Either dedicated garbage elevator terminating in / next to main garbage room

OR

x1 garbage shoot for co-mingled recyclables and Paper (using plastic bin liners should keep these seperate); x1 for normal rubbish; for glass ...bring glass down by hand (simply because I imagine a 50 floor fall for anything glass will result in SMASHING).

5) Contract company to pick up a) co-mingled recyclables for off-site processing b) pick up paper waste c) pick up glass waste (maybe with a)) and d) pick up normal rubbish.

...I'm no Architect. I would get some proper reading on how to plan these.

Is there a hauler you can contract with who will take single-stream or comingledA process of recycling materials that allows consumers to dispose of various materials (such as paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal) in one container that is separate from waste. The recyclable materials are not sorted until they are collected and brought to a sorting facility. garbage from the building, and sort it in an off-site facility? If so, you would simply use a single chute for all waste, including space in the basement to collect it, and haul it off-site.

LEED does not require you to segregate recyclables, as long as they can be collected and later recycled.