Allied Waste Trash and Recycling Resources

LEED Certification

What is LEED Certification?

In the United States and in a number of other countries around the world, LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Achieving LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate that your building project is truly "green."

The LEED green building rating system - developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington D.C.-based, nonprofit coalition of building industry leaders - is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being.

What are the benefits of LEED certification?

LEED certification, which includes a rigorous third-party commissioning process, offers compelling proof to you, your clients, your peers and the public at large that you've achieved your environmental goals and your building is performing as designed. Getting certified allows you take advantage of a growing number of state and local government incentives, and can help boost press interest in your project.

How can Allied Waste help me attain LEED certification for a specific building project?

Allied Waste is committed to responsible waste management, sustainability practices, and helping local businesses achieve LEED certification. Recently, we've partnered with the City of Boise to achieve LEED certification for the new Library that is under construction in West Boise. We will partner with you to provide a free waste consultation for your project, supply proper waste disposal and recycling containers, and conduct waste audits for LEED reporting purposes. Click here for a sample project recycling summary.

Managing Your Construction Waste - Tips for LEED Success

  1. Talk to Your Sub-Contractors - Let them know this is a LEED Project
    As obvious as this sounds, construction workers on the ground often do not know what their managers know - that this is a LEED project! Talk to them. Share your goals about LEED certification. Is your target to recycle 50% to 90%? Tell them what you will be recycling and where the recycling containers will be located.
  2. Label Your Containers
    Another obvious point, but necessary. Create BIG signs for all of your recycling containers: WOOD, PAPER & CARDBOARD, SHEET ROCK, etc. Draw pictures or laminate downloaded clip art and attach the graphics on the containers under the label (i.e. a picture of a wood pile or a picture of a plastic water bottle). This eliminates any language barrier confusion and is a quick reminder as workers approach the trash and recycling areas.
  3. Strategically Locate Your Trash & Recycling Containers
    Make recycling convenient, make trash tough. By placing recycling containers closest to the work site and trash dumpsters next to the supervisor's trailer or apart from the work site you create an incentive to recycle and a deterrent from trashing everything. This strategy allows supervisors to see what is being thrown away and there is a high degree of accountability when co-workers can watch each other fill the recycling bins.
  4. Use "On-Call" Trash and Recycling Service
    Make sure you sign up for "on-call" trash and recycling service. This allows you to have your dumpsters and recycling bins emptied only when they are full. If you call the Allied Waste office by 5:00 p.m. your containers will be scheduled for next day service.
  5. Take Pictures
    Take digital pictures of your containers when they are full (before they are emptied). Upload and date the photos in a "LEED TRASH" or "LEED RECYCLING" folder. This will help you keep track of the number of yards you are throwing away or recycling at your project site.
  6. Keep Your Trash and Recycling Bills
    Keep all landfill tickets (indicating weight or volume) recycling center receipts (tons recycled) and trash/recycling invoices from the hauler or city. All serve as critical records and will help you reconcile the volume you post in your pictures with the volumes recorded on paper. 

Ada County LEED Suggested Construction Site Materials for Recycling

  1. Carpet and Pad: Western Recycling will recycle self-hauled carpet pad. Second Chance Building Materials Center (208-331-2707) will take carpet if it is re-usable.
  2. Ceiling Tiles: Contact GTS Interior Supply (208-343-4998) for information regarding packaging and shipping.
  3. Electrical Conduit: If metal, recycle with metals.
  4. Gypsum Board: Can be recycled with prior approval from the Ada County Landfill (577-4725). Allied Waste will provide a container for gypsum board. It must be kept separate from wood waste at the job site. Although this material can be recycled the cost of processing is the same as disposal for C & D (currently $11/yd).
  5. Masonry: Second Chance Building Materials Center in downtown Boise will take materials that are re-usable (208-331-2707). Materials that cannot be re-used cannot be recycled locally at this time.
  6. Metals: Contact Pacific Metals (208-323-8045) regarding a container for metal waste.
  7. Paper/Cardboard/Plastic/Cans: Allied Waste will provide a single-stream container (3 to 40-yards) for mixed waste paper, cardboard, plastic and cans.
  8. Piping: Place in metals recycling container.
  9. Roofing: Wooden shingles (shake) can be thrown in with the wood waste.
  10. Wood Waste: Allied Waste Roll-Off Box (20,30 or 40-yards). All wood products (including crates) can be mixed together but must be free of metals except for staples, nails and screws. Wood waste chipping is subsidized by Ada County and is significantly less than garbage.

These materials can NOT be recycled locally at this time.

  1. Insulation
  2. Asphalt and other types of shingles

Questions? Call the Recycling Manager at Allied Waste: 208-345-1265.

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