Update: Construction and demolition waste reporting changes

We’ve updated the Construction and Demolition (C& D) Waste Reporting criteria after an extended period of consultation and feedback from the industry.

Why the update?

We’ve made these updates to improve clarity, fairness, and access across the industry.

• More accurate recovery reporting:
  In some instances, the previous method used an overall facility recovery rate, which included both mixed and single-stream materials. This didn’t always reflect how well mixed C&D waste was actually being sorted and recovered. The update introduces a clearer, more accurate way to show recovery performance for mixed loads.

• Greater transparency:
  The revised criteria provide a more realistic picture of what is being recovered from construction and demolition waste, helping everyone better understand performance.

• Support for smaller facilities:
  We’ve introduced a new low-volume pathway so smaller sorting facilities can participate without the high cost of full compliance. This allows more facilities to contribute to Green Star projects.

• Clearer guidance:
  We’ve addressed common questions and improved the guidance for both waste contractors and sorting facilities, making the process easier to understand and apply.

Important: These improvements may result in changes to the monthly mass balance percentage reported from C&D Waste Sorting Facilities (CDSF).

This update modified several items including how a CDSF reports its mixed-use percentage, which could modify the percentage of diverted waste given to the project team. NZGBC has allowed for a transition period for projects to comply with these new requirements.

This update does not necessarily indicate a reduction in actual material recovery performance. Rather, it reflects a more accurate methodology that isolates the recovery performance of mixed C&D waste streams from overall facility recovery rates.

What’s changed

We’ve made several updates to make reporting clearer, simpler, and more accessible:

• Clearer reporting for mixed waste:
  Facilities that currently report recovery rates based on overall facility results will be required to report specifically for mixed C&D waste only, with single stream waste reported separately. This provides a more accurate view of performance.
• Key terms like cleanfill and hardfill have been clarified, and the wording across the criteria has been simplified to reduce confusion and make requirements easier to understand.
• Easier access for smaller facilities:
  Smaller facilities can now take part without going through the full certification process. These “Low Volume Facilities” must follow alternative rules, including limits on how much waste they handle each year.
• Improved guidance and processes:
  We’ve clarified how assessments work, what information is needed, and how waste contractors can use third parties—making the system more consistent and easier to follow.

Simpler, clearer definitions:

“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our Green Star criteria for different credits,” said Brad Crowley. “The construction and waste area is one that we’ve been working on improving for some time – at the heart of this credit is a need to properly recognise and reward responsible waste management, including on site source separation of C&D waste.

“It’s important to accurately measure impact, with independent assessment providing assurance of a robust, industry-wide waste separation process.”

Who is this for?

Under Green Star there are credits that recognise responsible waste management. For Green Star Design and As Built (D&AB) it’s the C&D Waste credit and for Green Star Buildings it’s the Responsible Construction credit.

Projects pursuing these C&D Waste credits in Green Star, all waste contractors (those companies moving the waste from the project to any destination) and C&D Waste Sorting Facilities (CDSF) must have been issued a Compliance Verification Summary (CVS), or Waste Disclosure statement, before any waste is moved from the Green Star site.

This all must be done prior to the project attempting to achieve the diversion rates in the credit.

The process to achieve a CVS is outlined in the NZGBC Green Star C&D Waste Reporting criteria document.

The following documents have been created:

• 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 are in the process of creating a list of all companies with a CVS and the time these CVS were valid and the regions they cover.
• We will have a list of Suitably Qualified Assessors who can issue a CVS on our website. 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.

These changes have been a collaborative approach between the NZGBC and industry to create better industry practice for construction and demolition waste data transparency and validity - this is an important first step.

“We would like to encourage more reuse and a more circular system, says Crowley. “This would be encouraging looking at buildings as a ‘material bank’ and carefully disassembling our buildings and valuing all of the carbon and materials which were put into them.”

A timeline for the implementation of these changes will be published soon. 

NZGBC has released three Leadership Challenges which we’re hoping will move the industry in this direction:

• Deconstruction

• Buildings as Material Banks

• Design for Circularity

Please contact Brad Crowley for more information about the changes