LEED Point Rating System

Recycled Content

 

Materials Credit 4

 

The requirements of this credit state: "use materials with recycled content such that post-consumer recycled content constitutes at least 5% of the total value of the materials in the project OR combined post-consumer and one-half of the post-industrial recycled content constitutes at least 10%."

This percentage is determined by multiplying the cost of an item by the percent of recycled materials (on a mass basis) that make up that item. Supplementary cementitious materials, such as fly ash, silica fume, and slag cement are considered post-industrial. Furthermore, using recycled concrete or slag as aggregate instead of extracted aggregates would qualify as post-consumer.

Although most reinforcing bars are manufactured from recycled steel, in LEED, reinforcing is not considered part of concrete. Reinforcing material should be considered as a separate item.

This credit is worth 1 point for the quantities quoted above and 2 points for an additional 5% post-consumer recycled content, OR an additional 10% combined post-consumer and one-half post-industrial recycled content.