Toronto Green Standard Solid Waste Icon

Development Features

  • Facilitate waste reduction and diversion
  • Encourage adaptive reuse and optimize the environmental performance of products and materials
  • Divert non-hazardous construction and demolition debris
  • Encourage the use of products and materials that minimize the lifecycle impact to the environment

Tier 1

SW 1.1 Waste Collection and Sorting

Residential: Provide a waste sorting system for garbage, recycling and organics using one of the following: 1,2,3,6

a) a single chute with a tri-sorter

b) two separate chutes with one of the chutes equipped with a dual sorter

c) three separate chutes for garbage, recycling, and organics collection on all floors

d) a central waste collection and waste diversion facility on the ground floor for garbage, recycling, and organics
collection

SW 1.2 Waste Storage Space

Residential: Provide an easily accessible waste storage room with a minimum floor space of 25 m² for the first 50 units plus an additional 13 m² for each additional 50 units to accommodate containers and the compactor unit.1,2

Non-Residential: Provide waste storage space to accommodate garbage and materials diversion.

SW 1.3 Bulky Waste

Residential: Provide a minimum of 10m² for bulky items and items eligible for special collection services.4

SW 1.4 Compaction

Residential Uses: Developments with 31 units or above must ensure that all garbage is compacted by means of a compactor unit. The waste storage room must provide sufficient space to accommodate the compactor unit, to accommodate containers and the compactor unit.

Tier 2

SW 1.5 In-suite Waste Storage Space (Optional)

Residential: Provide a cabinet space in all kitchen suites for the segregated collection of:

  • Recyclables
  • Organics
  • Garbage

SW 1.6 Household Hazardous Waste (Core)

Residential: Provide a dedicated collection area or room for the collection of household hazardous waste and/or electronic waste. 5


Specifications and Resources

  1. Apply these standards to residential apartment developments with 31 units or more where front-end collection is required.
  2. 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.
  3. Waste is defined as garbage, recyclable materials, organic materials, yard waste and prohibited waste. The three waste streams refer to garbage, organics and recycling.
  4. Bulky items are defined as household items that are greater than1.2 m in any one dimension or weigh in excess of 20kg including furniture.
  5. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) includes car products, motor oil, windshield fluid; household cleaning products; paint, glue, primers, stains; pesticides and garden products; cooking oil; batteries; propane tanks; CFLs, syringes, medical sharps; medication; air fresheners, swimming pool chemicals.
  6. Groundfloor waste storage facility is subject to approval by the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services.

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 Management

Manage construction and demolition waste in accordance with 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 materials 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 Regulation 103 94 of the Environmental Protection Act that contains 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.