Using materials recovered from the waste stream typically results in less waste, pollution, and energy use than using virgin materials. From an environmental standpoint, post-consumer is typically considered preferable to pre-consumer recycled content because post-consumer recycled materials are more likely to have been diverted from landfills.
In some cases, we consider products with recycled content green but with some caveats regarding where they should be used. For example, rubber flooring made from recycled automobile tires should not be used in most fully enclosed indoor spaces due to the likelihood of VOC emissions.
Recycling can have downsides. For example, some studies show that curbside collection programs and some recycling processes use more energy than they save. Closed-loop recycling is generally preferable to “down-cycling,” in which a lower-grade material is produced—but due to contamination of waste streams and the difficulty of extracting high-value ingredients, down-cycling may be as good as it gets. At times recycling can re-introduce hazardous components. Some products, like copper and aluminum, include a high level of recycled content as a matter of course—which we applaud, but don’t consider justification for listing in GreenSpec. As more complete life-cycle information on recycled materials and processes becomes available, we use that to increase our scrutiny of recycled products.
Green Leaf Brick
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Pre-consumer (also called “post-industrial”) recycling refers to the reuse of industrial by-products, as distinguished from material that has been in consumer use. The iron-ore slag used to make mineral wool insulation and the fly ash used to make concrete are examples of post-industrial recycled materials. While post-consumer recycled content is preferable, a product that uses pre-consumer content or recycles a seldom-used waste product, especially in an area where recycled products are hard to find, can be considered green.
Excluded from this category, by FTC definitions, is the use of scrap within the same manufacturing process from which it was generated—material that would typically have gone back into the manufacturing process anyway. -
These products are environmentally attractive because they need to be replaced less frequently or their maintenance has very low impact, both of which can reduce costs as well as environmental impact.
Robust answers on typical service life of products can be hard to come by, however. In GreenSpec we reserve this criterion for products where the material is clearly more durable than alternatives, such as an exceptionally traffic-resistant polyurethane floor finish. We refer to standardized tests for durability when they are available and appropriate.
We also consider “appropriate durability”: long life is more important in a building envelope than in interior finish materials that will be replaced for aesthetic reasons. Here, reduced maintenance can be particularly important. An example is resilient flooring that doesn’t require regular waxing: an unnecessary use of resources and a health hazard.
Green Leaf Brick is a fired masonry brick made of 100% recycled materials. In addition to building brick, pavers are also available. Recycled materials include industrial waste from technical ceramic plants, mineral mining operations, and steel manufacturing; post-consumer content includes recycled glass, and incinerated sewage ash. Green Leaf Brick acquires materials from within 500 miles of its Salisbury NC plant, most within 100 miles.
Brick is a durable building material, but it is fired at high temperatures, resulting in significant embodied energy. Some brick products are manufactured using less energy-intensive processes; there are others that safely incorporate waste and recycled materials; and reusing brick will extend its service life.
Products listed here use low-temperature manufacturing processes, incorporated recycled waste products, or are salvaged responsibly from old buildings for reuse in brick veneer. Note that not all salvaged, or “reclaimed” brick is suitable for reuse. Salvaged brick needs to be carefully removed from environmentally sound buildings to insure the bricks do not contain toxins or are damaged structurally. And “Salmon” brick taken from the interior of old buildings is too soft, fragile, and vulnerable to moisture for reuse as exterior brick veneer. If purchasing or specifying reclaimed brick, make sure you know what you're getting, and that it meets your project's needs.
Brick and stone, particularly if locally produced or salvaged, can provide an extremely long-lasting, low-maintenance, visually interesting floor with low environmental costs. These materials create an unyielding surface that may be hard on joints and feet, however; and uneven floors may collect dirt and debris in low spots and prove difficult or even dangerous for some to traverse.
Products listed here are from salvaged materials.
Recycled bricks are attractive and functional, and can be installed to have drainage voids along the installed edges as porous paving systems. Porous pavement needs to be installed above a “reservoir” of uniform-sized aggregate (for example, 1-1/2" crushed stone).
LEED Credits
MRc4: Recycled Content
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