BP05: Waste Audit & Planning

Official language

This best practice ensures that building waste management is informed by the granular details of waste flows and materials necessary to create effective, project-specific programs to minimize waste going to landfills.

A waste audit is a simple and economical way to generate quantitative, actionable analysis of what is in your project’s waste stream, and the relative amounts of each material. A waste audit will help determine the project’s current waste performance including the types and quantities of waste generated and leaving the project as well as an assessment of proper waste diversion techniques (e.g., recyclables are cleaned before being placed in receptacles). Provide a baseline for measuring all future improvements to the waste diversion process or, in subsequent years, a determination of successes and opportunities against previous years audit results. And identify opportunities for furthering waste diversion goals.

This best practice intends to help the building operator reduce adverse environmental effects caused by products and materials acquired, used, and disposed of for the normal operations of the business.

 

Objective

At least once a year, perform a waste audit to help understand the project’s current waste generation and diversion processes and discover opportunities for improvement.

 

Submittal Requirements

The following are the required submittals in order to fulfill the objective of this best practice.

 

A waste audit report for the project that contains the following information:

  • Date of audit.
  • Audited waste stream categories.
  • Audit results.
  • Recommendations for opportunities for improvement. 

Implementation Guidance

For additional details and recommended steps for implementing this best practice, please see the BIT Building Program Manual.

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Frequently asked questions

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Implementation toolkit

This best practice ensures that building waste management is informed by the granular details of waste flows and materials necessary to create effective, project-specific programs to minimize waste going to landfills.

A waste audit is a simple and economical way to generate quantitative, actionable analysis of what is in your project’s waste stream, and the relative amounts of each material. A waste audit will help determine the project’s current waste performance including the types and quantities of waste generated and leaving the project as well as an assessment of proper waste diversion techniques (e.g., recyclables are cleaned before being placed in receptacles). Provide a baseline for measuring all future improvements to the waste diversion process or, in subsequent years, a determination of successes and opportunities against previous years audit results. And identify opportunities for furthering waste diversion goals.

This best practice intends to help the building operator reduce adverse environmental effects caused by products and materials acquired, used, and disposed of for the normal operations of the business.

 

Objective

At least once a year, perform a waste audit to help understand the project’s current waste generation and diversion processes and discover opportunities for improvement.

 

Implementation Requirements

For additional details and recommended steps for implementing this best practice, please see the BIT Building Program Manual.

Submittal Requirements

The following are the required submittals in order to fulfill the objective of this best practice.

 

A waste audit report for the project that contains the following information:

  • Date of audit.
  • Audited waste stream categories.
  • Audit results.
  • Recommendations for opportunities for improvement. 
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