Materials and Waste Guidelines
Required Guidelines
| M.1 | Life Cycle Assessment of Building Assemblies |
| M.2 | Evaluation of Environmentally Preferable Materials |
| M.3 | Waste Reduction and Management |
Related Forms
| Form P-6 | Materials and Waste Documentation |
Worksheets and Appendices
| Worksheet M-1: | Life Cycle Assessment Calculator |
| Worksheet M-2: | Construction Waste Recycling Economics |
| Worksheet M-3: | Packaging Waste Recycling Economics |
| Appendix M-1: | Suggested Implementation for All Material and Waste Guidelines |
Overview
Selection and use of materials and resources for more sustainable building has been an evolving process since the first recycled content products hit the market in the early 1970s. Costs related to increased waste from construction, depletion of non-renewable resources, and air and water pollution from production and distribution are becoming increasing drains on the State's economy. Because the building industry consumes over three billion tons of raw materials annually-around 40 percent of the total material flow in the global economy-the need to reduce the effects of building material extraction, processing, delivery, use, and disposal has become imperative to improving the health of the economy and the environment. To this end, guidelines and rating systems have sought to guide practitioners toward choices that reduce waste and the negative environmental impacts associated with materials through prescriptive requirements for salvaged materials, recycled content, locally produced or assembled products, and renewable materials. The State of Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (MSBG) are moving away from prescriptive requirements toward material selection based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which will provide a better connection to real effects and costs. However, until there is more complete data available, MSBG will also recommend prescriptive requirements to effect change. This section focuses on the selection of building assemblies and materials. Guideline P.2 Planning for Conservation addresses designing for reduced construction through shared use of spaces, building reuse, and design for flexibility and adaptability,
Goal
To produce projects with the lowest reasonable life cycle environmental impact at the lowest first cost based on material resource use and waste management.
Objectives
- Evaluate building assemblies to optimize their total life cycle performance based on the Athena Environmental Impact Estimator.
- Evaluate material alternatives to optimize their total life cycle performance based on material properties such as: salvaged, recycled content, locally/regionally produced, renewable, appropriate service life, and ability to be reused, recycled, or biodegradable.
- Reduce, recycle and manage wastes generated during the construction process and occupancy.
- Determine the project's life cycle environmental impacts related to quantity and type of materials used and waste reduction and management.