Building better by wasting less

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is one of the largest waste streams going to landfill in New Zealand. At NZGBC, we believe the future of construction is circular — where materials are viewed as valuable resources rather than waste.

By reducing waste, reusing materials, and increasing resource recovery, projects can lower carbon emissions, reduce landfill, improve resource efficiency, and deliver stronger Green Star outcomes.

Why it matters

The greatest opportunity to reduce waste comes early in a project, through smarter design, procurement, construction, and end-of-life planning.

A circular approach helps project teams:

• Reduce material sent to landfill
• Lower embodied carbon impacts
• Keep valuable resources in circulation
• Improve project efficiency and sustainability outcomes
• Support Green Star certification requirements

Success is a construction industry that views materials as resources, not waste. By adopting circular economy principles, we can reduce waste generation, increase material recovery, and create a more sustainable, low-carbon built environment for Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Technical resources

• Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste reporting criteria v2.0
• FAQ. Lists all typical questions related to the C and D Reporting Criteria and the Green Star C and D waste credit.
• A new Green Star C and D credit template was created. This will create a standard template to submit documentation for a Green Star project and will assist the project in determining if it will fulfill the credit requirements.
• New Waste Disclosure Statements for Waste Contractors and CDSF/LVF.
• We have created a list of all companies with a CVS and the time these CVS were valid and the regions they cover.
• See here for a list of Suitably Qualified Assessors who can issue a CVS. This is not an all-inclusive list since the requirement to be one is relatively broad. This should make it easier to find an assessor. If you want to be added to this list, please contact us via email.

Timeline

What this means for contractors

As of 1 July 2026 Waste contractors and CDSFs may start providing data to project teams under WRC v2.0. It is up to the contractors to determine which version of the WRC they are using for their reporting.

As of 1 April 2027 ALL Waste contractors and CDSFs must provide data to the project in accordance with WRC v2.0.

Leadership challenges

Our Leadership Challenges encourage project teams to go beyond compliance and demonstrate leadership in creating a circular economy for construction materials.

• Deconstruction
• Buildings as Material Banks
• Design for Circularity

Featured industry resource

Australia's waste[d] Opportunity 2025

A new report has revealed that the average building project wastes 141 kilograms of material per square metre — equivalent to a fully stocked fridge for every square metre constructed.

The report provides:

• • • National benchmarks for material waste per square metre for new builds and fitouts
    • Freely available templates and tools to help project teams measure, track, and report material flows
    • Practical guidance for improving design, procurement, and resource recovery across the building lifecycle

Read the report here