[Greenbuilding] Landfill is counted as waste management

[Brad Guy]

By lack of distinguishing among reuse, and recycling
levels of quality, LEED allows the counting of
construction and demolition debris that goes to
alternative daily cover towards the MR Credit 2
Construction Waste Management.

Alternative daily cover is what landfills put on the
open face of the waste each day to cover it. Mulch is
also a ADC.

To be clear, LEED MR Credit 2 does not explcitly state
that alternative daily cover is recycling, but the
fact is that haulers are claiming it as recycling, and
in fact some states classify it as recycling.

This is also not to say that, as some will, if not use
C&D debris then have to get something "new" and that
local governments are considering this recycling. That
is fine - the point being should it be rewarded as
recycling in LEED.

And if being incorporated into the de facto national
green building standard it seems the intent of the
credit is made irrelevant and agenda of
reuse/recycling is being greatly set-up from an ironic
corner. 

I was wondering if others have had experience with
this, what they did with it, and any thoughts on
better way to address how green standards might define
C&D recycling to acknowledge that not all C&D
recycling is the same...
Thanks,
Brad


Brad Guy
Ph.D. Program
School of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon University
Cell: 814-571-8659

Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) Conference
The 2009 BMRA International Deconstruction and Reuse Conference will be held in Chicago, IL, either late March or early April, 2009. Check www.buildingreuse.org for monthly updates.


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