The Zero Waste Design Guidelines grew from a question posed by Clare Miflin, architect at Kiss + Cathcart, Architects. While moderating an Urban Green panel on organics collection, she asked, “What can architects do to support organics collection in the buildings they design?” Panelists Christina Grace, CEO of Foodprint Group, and Brett Mons, then a senior program manager at DSNY, agreed the question was an excellent one.
Recognizing the gap between the work on waste handling and the work on building design, Miflin organized three roundtable discussions through the American Institute of Architects New York Committee on the Environment, with the help of its cochairs Pat Sapinsley and Ilana Judah. Representatives from DSNY attended these meetings, along with Foodprint Group’s Christina Grace, architects Jeff Miles and Elaine Zimmer, and Juliette Spertus and Ben Miller of ClosedLoops. The workshops generated a list of additional questions: Urban Green Council panel on DSNY organics collection and implications for buildings Building visits
- How can materials best be moved through the building?
- Should we design our buildings with waste chutes?
- What should be done about cardboard?
- Can we avoid piling bags on the curb?
- Where can architects and developers get guidance on design requirements and recommendations for best managing waste?