Solid waste management in green buildings

Today, one of the most important reasons for the increase in climate change is the traditionally built buildings. It is observed that carbon emissions, spent energy, water and wastes generated during the project, construction and operation phases of traditional buildings cause a lot of damage to the environment. In order to reduce the adverse effects of these buildings on the environment, it was desired to design sustainable, nature-sensitive structures where the resources found in nature are used in the best way possible. At this point, the concept of green building has emerged. The main purpose of green buildings is to minimize consumption and solid waste generation, to use water and energy more efficiently and to integrate people with nature in the most efficient way. Green building designs have greatly supported sustainable development by minimizing waste generation and using recycled materials. The wastes in the construction sector are excavation wastes and building debris. At this point, the use of recycled materials reduces waste generation. In order to support the improvement of the environmental achievements of the buildings, more than one international and national green building certification system has emerged in the construction sector. The most preferred green building certification systems are LEED and BREAM certification systems. In this study, solid waste management is the subject of LEED certified Konya Science Center and Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden Museum. In Konya Science Center and Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden Museum, solid wastes were separated according to their classes according to the zero waste principle and their contribution to the circular economy and environment was determined by recycling them.