(Original press release date: November 16, 2022)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations) - Zero Waste Canada and Light House Sustainability Society (Light House) are pleased to introduce the Zero Waste Construction Certification. The Zero Waste Construction Certification enables building owners, builders, and designers to showcase their efforts toward zero waste on demolition, renovation, and construction projects. The organizations launched the certification at the Zero Waste Conference held on September 28 & 29, 2022.

“Many in the construction industry have been signaling that they are aware they need to do better. The Zero Waste Construction Certification will give them a greater focus on waste reduction—including the elimination of harmful materials—in addition to responsible management of discarded materials through reuse, recycling and composting activities,” says Jamie Kaminski, Zero Waste Canada Board Member and President of HSR Zero Waste. HSR Zero Waste and Light House received funding to develop the certification on behalf of Zero Waste Canada. Metro Vancouver, Vancity, and the City of Vancouver, in consultation with industry partners Ledcor Group & EllisDon, provided support for the program.

The Zero Waste Construction Certification will help move the construction industry into the circular economy, with tiered levels of accomplishment, from On The Road Zero Waste Recognition, to a certificate of achievement for 75 percent waste diversion, and finally, full Zero Waste Certification for 90 percent or more waste diversion from landfills and incinerators.

Troy Glasner, Fractional Chief Sustainability Officer of White Blue Green Consulting Inc. and Co-Founder of E3 ECO GROUP INC. said: “I have been working in the sustainable development industry for the past 15 years and have certified over six million square feet of residential developments. In that time, I have witnessed so much waste, it is unbelievable. The development industry needs to focus on zero waste, both to reduce the amount of materials being discarded into landfills, and to reduce the costs of buildings. The developer and the client both pay for the waste twice. Once in the purchase of the materials, and then again for the waste handling. The costs of this are enormous.”

Certification is currently in the pilot stage. For more information on the program, visit zerowastecanada.ca/zero-waste-construction-certification.

About Zero Waste Canada
Zero Waste Canada (ZWC) is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to ending our age of wastefulness through improved industrial design and education for the 21st century. It is the national affiliate of the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), the governing body for zero waste globally. zerowastecanada.ca

About Light House Sustainability Society
Light House is dedicated to advancing and catalyzing sustainability in Canada’s built environment. Its team of professionals provides advisory and project management services to government and industry clients on regenerative building practices and circular economy principles. light-house.org