With all due respect to Ace of Base and their chart topper I Saw the Sign, I don’t think they were picturing a LEED construction project when they wrote it. But, when you walk onto your project site, do you see the sign? Or more appropriately, the signage?
Managing construction waste to earn LEED credits can range for really simple to extremely hard. It’s easy when you demo a huge concrete structure and replace it with another one and can achieve all your thresholds by just tracking concrete and literally throwing everything else away. It is much more difficult when there is no demo, it is a steel or wood structure, and the project has a variety of uses (retail, mixed use, hospitality, I’m looking at you!).
One simple, often overlooked way to help manage the waste process (since I know you’re already informing all the subs in your weekly meetings about how important it is to recycle – right?) is to have clear, easy to read signage labeling the recycling dumpsters with what material goes where. These signs should be in English and Spanish. Pretty basic, right? But take a look next time you’re walking a job site and see how easy it is to find the recycling bins, or to sort out what goes where – especially if English isn’t your first language. Check out the pictures below – which scenario do you think will hit their LEED goals?
Uhhhhh….. yeah. 😛