The Reality of Achieving Net Zero Waste

Presented By:
5 Penn Plaza, Ste. 1971, NY NY 10001 • 888.667.1178 • info@greenbuildingcenter.com • www.greenbuildingcenter.com

 Jason Kliwinski, AIA, LEED Fellow,
Certified Sustainable Building Advisor
Climate Reality Leader
CEO, Green Building Center
Co-Founder, USGBC-NJ
 Michael Buono, President, ESMG
Co-Founder, USGBC-NJ
Introductions

 Define what qualifies as net zero waste
 Discuss strategies and technologies the contribute to achieving net
zero
 Understand synergies and cost/benefits of net zero waste
 Identify challenges and opportunities to create net zero results
Learning Objectives

If Everyone Lived like we do in the US…

 Global waste generation in
2010 was 1.3 billion
tons---the equivalent of 200
Hoover Dams.
Projections of 2.2
billion tons by 2025.
Where are we Today?

 Globally, 65-75% of
waste is put in a
landfill, dump or other place.
 Today less than 25% of
our commercial waste is
repurposed.
Where are we Today?

US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY STATES:
 Net Zero Waste:
 “…means a building that is operated to reduce,
reuse, recycle, compost, or recover solid waste
streams (with the exception of hazardous and
medical waste) thereby resulting in zero waste
disposal.”
 https://www4.eere.energy.gov/femp/requirements/laws_and_r
equirements/definition_net_zero_waste_building_operated
What does Net Zero Mean?

LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE STATES:
 Net Zero Waste:
 Reduce or eliminate the production of waste during
design, construction, operation, and end of life and
find ways to integrate waste back into either an
industrial loop or natural nutrient loop. (90-100%)
 All Projects must feature at least one salvaged
material per 500 square meters of gross building area
or be an adaptive reuse of an existing structure.

Living Building Challenge Details
 Minimum Diversion Rates During Construction:
 Metal 99%
 Paper & Cardboard 99%
 Soil & Biomass 100%
 Rigid Foam, Carpet & Insulation 95%
 All others, average 90%

“designing and managing
products and processes to
systematically avoid and
eliminate the volume and
toxicity of waste and materials,
conserve and recover all
resources, and not burn or bury
them”
Zero Waste International Alliance,
www.zwia.org/standards.html
Zero Waste: terms & strategies
There is no such thing as waste
in Nature.
Either "biological nutrients" or
"technical nutrients"
Remaking the Way We Make Things – William
McDonough and Michael Braungart

UL Zero Waste Definition
 Landfill Diversion Facility (>80% diversion)
 Virtually Zero Waste to Landfill (> 98%)
 Zero Waste to Landfill (100%)

Consensus: diverting 90% of all waste generated from
Landfill and Incineration. No mixed waste incinerated or
processed in facilities that operate above ambient biological
temperatures (> 200F) to recover energy or materials.
Follow principle to recover “highest and best value” of
embodied energy and materials through hierarchy
- reuse
- recycling of inorganic materials in closed loop systems
- composting of organic materials
Zero Waste: Consensus???

Neighborhood Development (5 points)
 Building Reuse (1 point)
 Historic Preservation & Adaptive Reuse (2 points)
 Recycled/Reused Infrastructure (1 point)
 Solid Waste Management (1 point)
Waste addressed in LEED™

New Construction & Major Renovations (9 points)
 Pre-Requisite: Building Operations Recycling Program
 Pre-Requisite: Construction Waste Recycling Plan & Final
Report
 Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction (5 points)
 Construction Waste Recycling 50%-75% (1-2 points)
 Sourcing of Raw Materials 20/5, 25% by $$ (1-2 points)

Existing Buildings (9 points)
 Pre-Requisite: Ongoing Purchasing & Waste Policy
 Pre-Requisite: Facility Maintenance & Renovation Policy
 Pre-Requisite: Sustainable Site Management Policy
 Sustainable Site Management (1 point)
 Sustainable Purchasing, Ongoing Consumables, Durable
Goods, Facilities (1-4 points)
 Solid Waste Management, Ongoing & Facility Maintenance (2-
4 points)

LEED Process
1
Audit
2
Plan
3
Program
Development
4
Performance
Period/
Certification
5
Education/
Recertification
LEED
Copyright © 2012 U.S. Green Building Council

The Reality of Achieving Net Zero Waste

1 All Kimberly-Clark Professional* paper towels can be aerobically composted in municipal or industrial facilities in the United States and Canada by ASTM D6868-11.

2 “Environmental Benefits,” Environmental Protection Agency
3 “Waste and Recycling Facts,” Clean Air Council

Reduce Example: Operations
Commercial Property customer with over 150
buildings located in NJ-PA-MD-VA-TX.
 Challenge: Partners not adhering to designated supply chain
manufacturers for facility supplies, creating compliance, health & safety,
sustainability and cost concerns. 80% Sustainable Purchasing Goal identified.
 Solution: Veritiv introduced Sustainability reporting through xpedx.com to
identify products used in buildings that were not “Green”. Veritiv converted
these products to Sustainable options where they could.
 Result: REIT reached goal of 80% use of sustainable consumable products
& achieved overall cost neutrality in change-over to Sustainable products

Hartz Mountain Corporate HQ
 Challenge: Obtain LEED Silver
Certification on 250,000sf 1990’s
commercial office building with minimal
investment. (ESPM Score 92)
 Solution: Integrative Approach
 Result: Earned 50 points, and conducted
waste audit along the way.

Mack Cali, 5 Vaughn, Princeton
 Challenge: Obtain LEED Silver Certification on 98,640sf
late 1980’s multi-tenant commercial office building with
minimal investment. Tenant renovations done as part of
project. (ESPM Score 92)
 Solution: Integrative Approach.
 Result: Earned Silver Certification, conducted waste audit
and achieved credits for 86% recycling rate in addition to
purchase of sustainable materials for renovation.

Reduce Example: New Construction
Rider University – SIP Construction
 Challenge: LEED Silver, $200/sf,
9 month construction, PTAC
HVAC system
 Solution: Structural Insulated
Panel Wall System
 Result: Achieved over 85%
diversion rate on-time, on budget
and earned LEED NC Silver
Certification. First LEED certified
dorms in New Jersey!

Reuse/Recycle example: Renovation
Natural Resources Defense Council 8th Floor
Renovation, New York City, NY
 Zero Waste Challenge: 95% diversion Required Source
Separated Only of used bulk waste doors, windows, wallboard with
plugs and screws.
 Zero Waste Solution: Deconstruction and onsite
repurposing of doors, countertops, offsite creative reuse of windows
as decorative partition panels.
 Zero Waste Solution: Recovered 4 ft. sections of
wallboard removed screws & plugs with Upstate NY Mfg.
 Result: Achieved over 96% diversion rate on-time schedule,
saved cost with daytime work and demo team retrained for new
deconstruction methods. Earned LEED-CI Platinum Certification
“highest LEED score of any LEED-CI project worldwide”

Recycle Example: New Construction
Willow School, Health Wellness &
Nutrition Center, Gladstone, NJ
 Zero Waste Challenge: 95% diversion for each of 6
materials categories including difficult to recover organic food
waste & foam insulation.
 Zero Waste Solution: “zero tolerance policy” for
beverage (coffee cup) / personal food container disposal.
Composted food residuals from trailer lunch, tours & events.
 Zero Waste Solution: Recycled 70 cubic yards of foam-
board excess material with recycler in Philadelphia market.
 Result: Achieved over 98% diversion rate meeting LBC in
all materials categories & LEED Platinum (2pt + ID for 95%)

Recycle/Reuse Example: Operations
Anheuser-Busch: Beverage Distribution
Centers- Multiple Locations in New Jersey
 Zero Waste Challenge: 72% recycling rate in jeopardy due to
back flow of products from retail locations to distribution center from “born on
dating” campaign. Beer required ATF witnessed destruction
 Zero Waste Solution: Developed creative partnership with hog
farmer to remove product from packaging, recycle packaging, and reclaim liquid
product in compliance with ATF requirements.
 Zero Waste Solution: Reclaimed liquid mixed with water, and sold
as a service to used in land application process as soil nutrient and manure odor
inhibitor on Jersey Hog Farms.
 Result: Due to the size, weight, and liquid composition of truckload
quantities of case beer central distribution credited with higher 86% diversion
rate and saved thousands of dollars in Landfill disposal fees.

Waste in your
Carbon Footprint
22,409 eMT CO2 ~
4.3 tons/student
5,200 students
1,400,000sf
http://rs.acupcc.org/cap/63/
Rider University

Waste in your
Carbon Footprint
37,598 eMT CO2 ~
6.37 tons/student
5,900 students
3,000,000sf
http://rs.acupcc.org/cap/96/
The College of NJ

Mercer County CC
28,117 eMT CO2 ~
4 tons/student, 9,500 students
650,000gsf

What’s the Competition Doing?

US Army – Triple Net Zero Synergy
http://www.asaie.army.mil/Public/ES/sustainability.html

Challenges of Achieving Zer0 Waste
POLICY
INDUSTRY
CODESAWARENESS
INFRASTRUCTURE

 COST SAVING
 STEWARDSHIP
 REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE
Benefits of Net Zero Waste

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Recover
Disposal
Net Zero Waste Pyramid

Zero Waste: strategies.
“Zero Waste (90% >)” vs “High Performance (50-85%)”
 Higher level commitment to investment in systems & product design,
 Rigorous process & facility management
 Design for all environmental cost in design stage.
 Design for disassembly, remanufacturing or dematerialize.
 Reverse logistics of distribution system where products or
components are returned for repair, reuse, recycling.
 Extended producer responsibility products & packaging.
 Focus on service rather than products

Zero Waste: strategies
Zero Waste requires commitment to establish and
maintain a different culture…
 Continual Environmental Quality Management Improvement
 Strategic Waste Recovery Planning
 Internal Resource Management
 External Resource Management
 Sustainable Purchasing

 Establish Goals & Policies
 Include Stakeholders
 Work Collaboratively
 Develop Detailed Plans
 Implement & Measure Performance
 Share Your Successes & Lessons Learned
Next Steps on your Next Project

ZERO WASTE - We Can Get There…
Technological
FOOD
Organic
FOOD
Waste=

WWW.ESMG.COM WWW.VERITIV.COM WWW.GREENBUILDINGCENTER.COM WWW.USGBCNJ.ORG

The Reality of Achieving Net Zero Waste

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to The Reality of Achieving Net Zero Waste (20)

More from Veritiv Corporation (12)

Recently uploaded (20)

The Reality of Achieving Net Zero Waste