Learn about the key tracking requirements for construction waste management plans on LEED projects. Prepare for the LEED Green Associate Exam with this expert question breakdown.
Table of Contents
Question
When instituting a construction waste management plan, which of the following should be tracked?
A. Number Of dumpsters used
B. Volume/weight of materials diverted
C. Amount of site soils reused on the site
D. Amount of post-consumer recycled content
Answer
B. Volume/weight of materials diverted
Explanation
A construction waste management plan is a document that outlines how the project will reduce, reuse, recycle, or dispose of the construction and demolition waste generated on site. One of the key components of a construction waste management plan is to track and document the volume or weight of materials that are diverted from landfills or incinerators by redirecting them to other destinations, such as recycling facilities, salvage yards, donation centers, or reuse on site.
Tracking and documenting the volume or weight of materials diverted is important for several reasons, such as: It helps measure the performance and effectiveness of the waste management plan and identify areas for improvement. It provides evidence and verification for LEED certification, as LEED v4 requires projects to divert at least 50% or 75% of construction and demolition waste (by weight or volume) from disposal in landfills or incineration facilities for one or two points, respectively.
It demonstrates the environmental and economic benefits of waste diversion, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, saving disposal costs, and creating jobs. The number of dumpsters used is not a relevant metric for tracking a construction waste management plan, as it does not indicate how much waste is generated or diverted.
The amount of site soils reused on the site is also not a valid indicator, as site soils are not considered construction and demolition waste by LEED v4. The amount of post-consumer recycled contentis not related to a construction waste management plan, as it refers to the percentage of material in a product that was previously used by consumers and diverted from landfills or incinerators before being incorporated into a new product.
When instituting a construction waste management plan on a LEED project, the most important metric to track is the volume and/or weight of materials diverted from landfill disposal.
A successful construction waste management plan will maximize the amount of demolition and construction debris that gets recycled, salvaged or otherwise diverted from being sent to landfills or incineration facilities. LEED projects can earn points for diverting at least 50% of total construction and demolition material (by weight or volume) from landfills.
To document this, projects must track and record the weight or volume of all diverted materials. This could include materials sent to recycling facilities, salvaged for reuse on other projects, donated to organizations for reuse, etc.
Simply tracking the number of dumpsters (choice A), while helpful for logistics, does not provide the required data on actual waste diversion amounts. The amount of site soils reused (choice C) and recycled content used (choice D) are important sustainable practices but are separate from construction waste management tracking.
In summary, to comply with LEED requirements and earn potential points, construction waste management plans must quantify the volume and/or weight of materials successfully diverted from disposal. This is the key metric to track and report.
USGBC LEED Green Associate certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the USGBC LEED Green Associate exam and earn USGBC LEED Green Associate certification.