Solid Waste for Low-Rise Residential Development

Toronto Green Standard Solid Waste Icon

Development Features

  • Facilitate waste reduction and diversion
  • Encourage the use of products and materials that minimize the life-cycle impacts to the environment

Tier 1

SW 1.1 Waste Storage Space

Provide a ventilated internal space, external to the living area and on private property, for the storage of separated recycling, organics, and garbage generated between collections. Materials must be consistent with the City of Toronto’s waste diversion programs. Minimum floor space requirements are as follows: 1,2,3

  • 2 m² for every 5 units for garbage
  • 2 m² for every 4 units for recycling/bulky items
  • 2 m² for every 4 units for organics

Tier 2

SW 1.2 In-suite Waste Storage Space (Optional)

Provide separated cabinet space in all kitchen suites for segregated collection of:

  • Recyclables
  • Organics
  • Garbage

Specifications and Resources

  1. Refer to the City of Toronto Requirements for Garbage, Recycling and Organics Collection Services for New Developments and Redevelopments and Chapter 844 of the Toronto Municipal Code, Waste Collection for Residential Properties.
  2. Waste is defined as garbage, recyclable materials, organic materials, yard waste and prohibited waste. The three waste streams refer to garbage, organics and recycling.
  3. Apply these standards to residential developments with 30 units or fewer that are eligible for curbside door to door garbage, recycling and organics collection.

Tier 2

SW 2.1 Building Lifecycle Impact Reduction (Optional)

Reuse or salvage building materials from off-site or on-site equal to 50 per cent of the surface area of the existing building.1

Specifications and Resources

  1. Refer to LEED® V4 BD+C: MR Credit: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction Option 3 for further details on how to achieve this option.

Tier 1

SW 3.1 Construction Waste

Provide documentation that affirms that management of Construction and Demolition Waste is in compliance with Provincial Regulation O. Reg. 103/94: Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Source Separation Programs.1

Tier 2

SW 3.2 Construction Waste (Core)

Divert at least 75 per cent of the total construction and demolition material; diverted material must include at least four material streams.2,3,4,5

Tier 3

SW 3.3 Construction Waste (Core)

Divert at least 95 per cent of the total construction and demolition material; diverted material must include at least four material streams.2,3,4,5

Specifications and Resources

  1. This requirement applies to large construction projects that are subject to O. Reg 103 94 that containing one or more buildings and have a total floor area greater than 2000m2. Provide a source separation plan for the waste that will be generated in the construction of the structure(s). See A Guide to Waste Audits and Waste Reduction Work Plans for Construction and Demolition project.
  2. Refer to LEED® V4 BD+C: MR Credit: Construction and Demolition Waste Management OR LEED® NC 2009 Credit MRc2 Construction Waste Management for further details on how to achieve this requirement. Calculations must be done by weight.
  3. Adopt a construction waste management plan to achieve these goals. Consider recycling cardboard, metal, brick, mineral fibre panel, concrete, plastic, clean wood, glass, gypsum wallboard, carpet and insulation.
  4. Construction debris processed into a recycled content commodity which has an open market value (e.g. wood derived fuel [WDF], compost or mulch, etc.) may be applied to the construction waste calculation. Exclude hazardous waste, land-clearing debris, soil, and landscaping materials from calculations.
  5. Calculations must be done by weight.

Tier 2

SW 4.1 Sustainable Building Materials (Optional)

Ensure that at least 25 per cent, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project, meet at least one of the leadership extraction practices for materials reuse or recycled content. 1

Specifications and Resources

  1. Refer to LEED V4 BD+C: MR Credit: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Sourcing of Raw Materials, Option 2 for further details on how to achieve this requirement.