Comments on: Materials and Resources 4.1 – Recycled Content – 10% Total Construction Material from Recycled Items (post consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer)

By: Jonathan Ochshorn

Jonathan Ochshorn — Mon, 31 May 2010 01:01:15 +0000

The web site with my critique of LEED-NC 2.2 has been moved. The materials and resources page can be found here: http://www.ochshorndesign.com/cornell/writings/leed2.2critique/MaterialsResources.html

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:40:13 +0000

Is the default 25% recycled content for steel in the newest version of LEED (v3) or is it only in the older LEED v2.2?

Thanks!

By: Cho, Byung-Hun

Cho, Byung-Hun — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:35:58 +0000

It is said Mechincal, Electric, plumbing euipment and elevator stuffs are excluded from the caculation of recycled contents. Then these portion shall be exculded from totatal construction material(default: 45% of contract amount),too, won’t they?

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:30:57 +0000

Hello, Thanks for your website! I have a question. Do products used in the building process count or is it just building materials? We have a 100% recyclable TEMPORARY floor protection made with over 90% post consumer products and want to see if we can count this towards this credit.

By: DeeNa

DeeNa — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:05:10 +0000

steel: accounting for 25% recycled content
($50,000 x .8)x 0.25 = $10000
gyp:
$40000 x .8 = $20000

Pre consumer flyash:
1/2($40,000 x.02)= $ 4000

i think answer is e…$34,000

By: mr9

mr9 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:39:40 +0000

Post Consumer:
Steel
$50,000 x .8 = $40,000
Gyp
$40,000 x .8 = $20,000

Pre Consumer (1/2):
Fly ash
1/2 ($40,000 x .02 (skipped weight to price conversation)) = $4,000

Answer should be C (sum total). All, please correct me if i’m wrong, thanks!

By: f

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:55:53 +0000

Can someone please help me understand how to calculate the answer to this question?

In order to pursue MRc4: Recycled Content, a project attempts to use the following materials: $50,000 of 80% recycled steel beas, $25,000 of 80% recycled gypsum boards. Meanwhile, it purchases concrete with $40,000 cementitious materials that has 20% of recycled fly ash by weight as the supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). What is the computed dollar value of recycled content in this project?
a. $115,000
b. $68,000
c. $64,000
d. $38,000
e. $34,000

thanks!

By: Mallik

Mallik — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:38:32 +0000

Jonathan: Thanks, I remember studying this in the reference guide.

By: jonathan

jonathan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:33:46 +0000

mallik, refer to the reference guide on MRc4, im not sure exactly where it states it but it says by default for steel materials 25% is used for percentage content.

By: Mallik

Mallik — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:27:01 +0000

Can any one expalin how the answer to this question is “C”.
You are working on a project and the owner decided to pursue LEED certification
after construction has already started. You are trying to document MR Credit 4,
Recycled Content, and have asked a representative of your supplier about the
recycled content in the steel framing members. She tells you that all of her firm’s
suppliers attempt to provide steel with 80% post-consumer recycled content or better.
Using this information, you may count what percentage of recycled content in the
steel toward the credit?
A) 0%
B) 5%
C) 25%
D) 40%
E) 80%

By: Wannabe

Wannabe — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:21:40 +0000

Hello All

I’m having a hard time with the post consumer and pre consumer products in the practice tests that I’m giving. Is there a trick to remember how one can easily understand wjhich ones are post and pre? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

By: mamz

mamz — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:04:12 +0000

Reenu: according to the ref guide, furniture and furnishings can only be included in MR 4 if it is consistently included in credits 3-7. The ques does not say anything about this.
Well I guess if we don’t consider this, looks like there is some problem with the ques.

By: Reenu

Reenu — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:27:20 +0000

Mamz: From where did you get this qn? On page 275 of the reference book, it says that Deacking, Cabinetry and furniture are post consumer waste materials. Why can`t they be used in 4.1?? If anyone knows the answer to this please let me know. Thanks.

By: mamz

mamz — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:03:45 +0000

Sample ques:
Which three of the following elements can NOT be utilized for achieving MR Credit
4.1, Recycled Content credit?
A._____ Floor joist
B._____ Decking
C._____ Cabinetry
D._____ Furniture
Ans is BCD,
I understand CD are clear options. I would appreciate if someone can help me understand why B and not A.

By: prd

prd — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:33:34 +0000

Can you achieve this credit through the use of 100 percent pre-consumer content and no post-consumer content so long as you achieve 10 percent TMC ?

By: Chip

Chip — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:57:27 +0000

For Jonathan Ochshorn’s thought provoking critique of the requirments of the Materials & Resources section of LEED-NC 2.2 (including a demonstration of the fly ash calculation), visit http://people.cornell.edu/pages/jo24/writings/leed2.2critique/MaterialsResources.html

By: Wes

Wes — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:33:55 +0000

I bet the answers for that question would be something like:
a) 200 lbs
b) 100 lbs
c) 50 lbs

Answer is b.

Though, Adam is correct that it comes down to cost ultimately. So if the answer choices were percentages, 0.5% recycled content would be accepted for the concrete.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:49:22 +0000

200lbs is only 1% of the total WEIGHT of the construction. This credit is ultimately calculated by COST. There is not enough information given here to answer the question.

You can only count 1/2 of all pre-consumer products to contribute to MRc4.1 too. So you are only going to be getting 0.5% of fly ash to contribute to the total cost of the total cost of concrete.

I would ignore this question, in my experience this is not helpful towards taking the AP Exam. Where are you getting this question from anyhow?

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:36:28 +0000

Can someone please help me with this question and explain wny? (Answer is not given).
“1.) You are building a foundation with 20,000 of concrete… 200lbs of which is pre consumer recycled fly ash. How much fly ash are you allowed to take as recycled content for Recycled Materials? “

By: John

John — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:07:22 +0000

Hi Pat,

Are the terms pre-consumer and post-industrial interpreted to be synonymous as in your earlier response to Lilian on May 21, 2008?

Thanks!

John

By: jc

jc — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:00:54 +0000

beth, could MR3 be one too? because a door is a different function than a table top? its same material but used for diff purpose?

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:20:46 +0000

That’s a technical one. I would think that you would definitely satisfy the MRc5.1. The door itself doesn’t include any processed recycled materials, so my guess is it would not qualify. Might be good for a CIR.

By: jon

jon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:10:12 +0000

If I refinished a door from a building 10 miles away and used it as a table top in my new building would it go towards MRc4.1 Recycled Content or MRc5.1 Regional Materials?

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:54:57 +0000

I agree with you Sara, it is confusing. Basically ‘pre-consumer’ recycled content is a by-product of the manufacturing process. Here is a good definition:

“Refers to leftover materials from the manufacturing process. Using or selling this scrap doesn’t divert material from the landfill; it is not truly recycled because it has never been used.”

Source: http://www.thenbs.com/topics/Environment/Glossary/P.asp

By: sara

sara — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:13:54 +0000

I still don’t understand what “pre-consumer” recycled content is. It’s a little more clear if you call it “post-industrial” because then it sounds like stuff that comes out of a manufacturing process and is used elsewhere, for another purpose. Is that what they’re saying?

By: steve

steve — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:14:09 +0000

Does this credit require that the materials be processed offsite or can the materials be processed on-site during construction?

eg. backfill made up of excavated soil used for landscaping.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:51:53 +0000

Hi Gerry,

Because the glass has already been to the consumer, it is post-consumer.

If a tile was, for example, made from scrap glass from the windshield manufacturer, then it would be pre. Hope that helps!

By: gerry

gerry — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:40:17 +0000

would tile from a car windshield be post or pre?

By: rutvi

rutvi — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:24:55 +0000

Thanks Pat!!!

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:14:08 +0000

Hi Rutvi,

If you look on page 266 of the reference guide, it explains:

“For steel products where no recycled content information is available, assume the recycled content to be 25%”

My educated guess is that since the knowledge about the recycled content in the steel members isn’t really for sure known. She just tells you that the suppliers attempt to provide 80% post-consumer or better, but attempting and having something official on paper is totally different. Someone can attempt to have 80% but only have 50%, or even 0%! So, based on that, we dont have enough information and can only assume 25% per the reference guide. I hope this helps!

By: rutvi

rutvi — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:55:14 +0000

You are working on a project and the owner decided to pursue LEED certification
after construction has already started. You are trying to document MR Credit 4,
Recycled Content, and have asked a representative of your supplier about the
recycled content in the steel framing members. She tells you that all of her firm’s
suppliers attempt to provide steel with 80% post-consumer recycled content or better.
Using this information, you may count what percentage of recycled content in the
steel toward the credit?
A) 0%
B) 5%
C) 25%
D) 40%
E) 80%

answer given is C….could anyone explain.

Thanks

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:26:38 +0000

Lilian,

I believe you are correct. If these are the only two answers, then definitely B is wrong because the consumer has not yet seen the product. A makes sense because it’s material made after production. It’s basically a pre-consumer/post-industrial material, i would say. Any further comments?

By: Lilian

Lilian — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:47:17 +0000

a question needs clarification:
A particleboard made from lumber off-cuts from the milling of poplar trees. This is example of :
a – post industrial recycled content
b – post consumer recycled content

my answer is a because the lumber off-cuts prior to consumer use.

any comments?