Five Building Strategies To Achieve LEED-EB Certification
Part 1: LEED-EB Requires Energy Efficiency Measures
Part 2: LEED-EB And Water Efficiency
Part 3: Creating Sustainable Purchasing Policies
Part 4: Recycling Your Way To LEED-EB
Part 5: IAQ And LEED-EB
Recycling Your Way To LEED-EB
By Maureen Roskoski - June 2009 - Green
According to EPA, Americans typically generate 251 million tons of trash a year — 4.6 pounds per person per day. Reviewing waste practices will have both environmental and financial benefits.
One organization started with a 40 percent recycling rate. The facilities department purchased more recycling bins, improved education and replaced all disposable foam cups with washable cups. This organization is now recycling 82 percent of its waste and anticipates $52,000 in annual savings, mainly from not purchasing disposable cups and reducing waste disposal costs.
LEED-EB requires recycling a minimum of 50 percent of the total waste stream to obtain points for recycling.
