The City has measured the levels of waste produced by the construction of the first Green home and compared the findings to those found in a conventionally built home. It was expected that the Green homes would produce minimal waste during construction, and the City found this to be verifiable. Additionally, a large portion of the waste produced was recyclable and was not introduced into the waste stream. The City’s Public Utilities Department donated the use of the necessary containers for the project and assisted in the waste-monitoring component.

The home was designed in a manner that reduced construction waste. The contractor used waste-minimizing construction materials such as structurally insulated panels and insulated concrete forms and recycled and/or reused the maximum amount of leftover material. Additionally, recyclable materials, such as dry wall, were separated from waste materials, for transportation to a local recycling facility.

Not only can developers gain economically through lower waste management costs, but the environment benefits through the reduction of waste at the local landfill.