Recycling in Multi-family and Commercial Buildings

• Author: Tyler Adams
• Pages: 100-103

100 Sustainable Development Code: Climate Change

RECY CLI NG I N

MULTI-FAMI LY AND

COMM ERC IAL BUI LDI NGS

Tyler Adams (author)

Jonathan Rosenbloom & Christopher Duerksen (editors)

INTRODUCTION

Municipalities have increasingly turned to recycling initiatives as a way to

further susta inability goals. An area ripe for opportunity is multi-family and

commercial buildings which a re often left out of such initiatives. Because

these building produce large amounts of waste and often do not have or

require recycling, large amounts of recyclable material continue to go to

landlls. Commercia l and multi-family waste production is nearly twice

that of residential, thus implementing recycling programs in these buildings

would positively impact a municipality’s diversion rate (the measure of the

amount of recyclable material avoiding landl ls).1

Due to the temporary nature of their occupants, the recycling challenges

commercial and multi-family buildings face are often dierent from single-

family dwel lings.2 Loca l governments have begun requiring commercial

and multi-family property owners to oer tenant/occupants the opportu-

nity to recycle. Previously, commercial and multi-family buildings were only

required to provide the standard waste disposal bins.3 Pursuant to some

ordinances, they must provide separate bins that divide recyclable and non-

recyclable materials. Often ti mes the buildings are also required to provide

information to tenant/occupants as well a report to the appropriate munici-

pal department regarding recycling eorts. In addition, some jurisdictions

phase buildings into compliance based on size, use and/or amount of waste

generated.4

EFFECTS

Ensuring recycling i n multi-family and commercial buildings has the poten-

tial to confer numerous benets. Trash can end up in a variety of place s once

it is thrown away, but one of the most common places is landl ls. e decom-

position of organic materials in landlls produces landll ga s (LFG) which

is composed of about 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide, both of which