Practices and Indicators of Waste and Resource Management in Commercial Buildings

This chapter examines the indicators and practices used by facilities managers regarding waste and resource management in commercial buildings and whether these current practices and indicators align with standards impacting facility sustainability and performance. A review of existing literature was undertaken to outline relevant information, which addresses the primary objectives of the report. The research adopted a qualitative approach that employs an embedded case study research design to obtain primary research data from interviews with facilities managers of commercial buildings. Furthermore, secondary data relating to energy, water, and waste was collected from company records. The scope of the study was limited to three Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Green star-rated (rating of green buildings in South Africa) commercial buildings in Cape Town. The key findings of the research indicate that the level of energy and water consumption is within the prescribed standards. The research concludes that indicators (resource consumption per annum/month/m2) and practices (continuous service planning, facility plant, and equipment maintenance, accessing tenant requirements) used in waste and resource management by the facilities managers of the sampled commercial buildings are aligned with international and local standards and are adequate in addressing the needs of commercial buildings regarding the management of energy and water resources. Based on these findings, the study recommends that facilities managers use innovative technologies such as metering and the Building Management System Software, and cradle-to-cradle technology to manage the waste generated in commercial buildings. It also recommends that further research be undertaken using a larger sample size to allow for the generalization of the results.