Green Star disclosure statements: a practical guide for waste facilities

Has a customer asked your waste processing facility to complete a Green Star disclosure statement?

If you have not received one before, it can look like you need to arrange an audit or meet every requirement before you can respond. The starting point is simpler: explain what your facility currently does and answer the questions accurately.

This guide explains why fitout contractors are requesting these statements, how to complete them and where independent verification fits.

Why is your customer asking for one?

Green Star Fitouts is the Green Building Council of Australia's sustainability rating tool for fitout projects.

Under Credit 08, Responsible Material Management, projects must report the materials leaving site and identify where they go. Page 64 of the Green Star Fitouts v1 Submission Guidelines also requires disclosure statements from waste contractors and processing facilities in relation to the Green Star Construction and Demolition Waste Reporting Criteria.

Your customer is collecting this information to support the project's Green Star submission. Even if your facility mainly receives one material, such as metal, its role as a receiving processing facility is relevant to that reporting.

What is a disclosure statement?

A disclosure statement records how much of the C&D Waste Reporting Criteria a contractor or facility has implemented.

There are separate GBCA forms for waste contractors and waste processing facilities. Use the form relevant to the service being disclosed, and identify the actual facility receiving the material.

The statement gives the project team a clearer picture of your operations and reporting arrangements, including any gaps.

Can you tick “not met”?

Yes. A “not met” response is acceptable for the disclosure paper trail. You do not need to meet every criterion before completing and returning the form.

Where a requirement is not met, record that honestly and add a brief explanation. If you are unsure, check the requirement before answering. Where something appears not to apply, explain why rather than leaving it blank.

For example, if a question asks about independent verification and your facility has not been independently verified, disclose that position.

The purpose is to provide an honest record of the facility's current position. You can complete the disclosure without first arranging an audit or changing every practice identified as “not met”.

How to make completing the form easier

1. Confirm the facility. Use the correct business name and receiving site address. If your business operates several sites, make clear which one the statement covers.

2. Answer against current practice. Base responses on what the facility actually does and can support with records.

3. Explain gaps briefly. A short factual explanation is more useful than an unsupported “met” response.

4. Reference existing information. Relevant approvals, reporting procedures and an existing Compliance Verification Summary may help support your answers.

5. Complete the author details. Review the declaration, provide your name, position, company and email address, and retain a copy of the completed form. No handwritten or digital signature is needed for the declaration described below.

What does the declaration ask you to confirm?

The declaration states:

I confirm that the information provided in this document is truthful and accurate at the time of completion.

Provide author details, including name, position, and email address:

Include your company details in the form as well. The declaration confirms the accuracy of your responses, including any requirements you have marked “not met”.

Keep the scope clear. Describe your facility's operations and records, and clarify any wording that appears to ask you to verify project quantities or reports prepared by another party.

What if you already have a Compliance Verification Summary?

A Compliance Verification Summary, or CVS, provides independent verification against the reporting criteria within its stated scope.

If you have one, check that it is current and covers the receiving facility, then provide it as supporting information. For a business audited nationally, check which sites are included.

The Fitouts credit expressly requests disclosure statements. Do not assume an existing CVS removes that requirement; confirm the documentation needed with the project team.

Need help with the form?

Traste helps waste contractors and processing facilities understand Green Star reporting requirements and undertakes independent waste facility audits, including in Western Australia.

If you have received a disclosure statement and are unsure how to answer a question, I am happy to help clarify what is being asked and discuss any further verification needed.

Simon Lunn | Traste
simon@traste.com.au | +61 405 417 174

References

• Green Star Fitouts v1 Submission Guidelines, dated 18 March 2026, Credit 08, pages 63–68, particularly page 64. Available through GBCA's Fitouts resources.

• GBCA: Construction and demolition waste reporting criteria and disclosure statements.

This article addresses Green Star Fitouts v1. Other Green Star rating tools and credit pathways have different documentation requirements.