- News
- Magazine
- Awards
- CRC
- Legislation
- Housing
- Renewables
- Non-domestic
- Water
- Energy
- Waste & recyc..
- Refurbishment
- Innovation
- Materials
- Biodiversity
- Interiors
- Books
- Training
- Transport
- Links
- Events
Construction produces 120 million tonnes of waste every year
http://www.greenbuildnews.co.uk/images/img/articles/297_198/Articles_163_1_1273487996.jpg
Construction, renovation and demolition projects produce 20% of our waste: about 120 million tonnes a year. Even worse, at least 14% of construction waste is unused material, not damaged, not second hand, just brand new leftovers.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that about £1.5bn worth of goods moves straight from the builders’ merchant to the building site to landfill. By anyone’s standards that’s a shocking waste, and one that can be avoided.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
The industry as a whole is quickly adopting a greater emphasis on reuse as well as recycling in a growing effort to reduce the amount of material sent to landfill. A number of published documents for best practice highlight the preferred waste strategies as reduce, reuse, recycle and finally disposal of materials. There is recognition now of the impact that the industry is having on our planet and a drive to cut the amount of materials sent to landfill and reduce the amount of energy and resources to produce new materials.
Extending the life
In terms of the described hierarchy, where it is not possible to reduce or design out waste, the preferential strategies are to reuse and then recycle, these are often confused with each other but they are actually very different. Reuse is the extension of the life of a material or product; this is where a material is reused for its original function. Recycling is the process where materials are processed into new products.
Both are seen as valuable measures to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and also as a way to preserve natural resources. Both methods are beneficial to developers as they are able to reduce costs of sending material to landfill and they reduce the demand on natural resources. Reuse has the added benefits that it requires less energy and creates less pollution than recycling materials; it also preserves the embodied energy used in the initial development of the product or material.
Case study: The Trustland Group
A good example of the benefits of reuse, is that of Wirral based construction company, The Trustland Group, who have shown estimated savings of £26,378 over one project, through the effective reuse of surplus and good quality second hand materials.
The refurbishment of an empty space to create a small, mezzanine office and fully fitted out warehouse used up surplus and second hand materials from various other projects. The savings were made as purchase of the new materials was not required, and disposal was not necessary. The warehouse shelving and the office partition walls were all taken from a project the company had undertaken, which required the strip out and refurbishment of an office block. Trustland did not have to dispose of these materials, which saved several man hours, and therefore the materials did not go to landfill.
Fringe benefits
This is an example of where reused materials have been put to good use, but there are also many benefits to companies looking to pass on surplus materials which are no longer required. The industry is very competitive and a good waste management system and a positive image can often prove the difference when tendering. Companies who are actively seeking to minimise there environmental impacts and can show evidence for this hold an advantage, where opportunities exist to pass on materials to charities and community groups there are inevitably some very good public relations opportunities and a demonstration of an organisations cooperate social responsibility.
Reusing platforms
There are a number of different platforms available to assist organisations to either find or sell materials, one such example that is specific to the industry is BuilderScrap, who provides a free website for a wide range of different reusable materials, another which specialises in soils and aggregates is Earth Exchange.
BuilderScrap has been created by builders for builders to ensure that it is fully aligned with the industry. It not only allows a platform for passing on and finding materials but can also assist in demonstrating the savings that can be made for a company's environmental and social commitments. One such example is the development of a carbon calculator that has been developed along with the Centre for Construction Innovation in order to produce a carbon and tonnage calculator to quantify the amount of carbon saved by reusing materials.
Mike Close is from BuilderScrap. Visit the website for further information or call 0844 225 3000.
BuilderScrap is exhibiting at Greenbuild Expo on 26th and 27th May as part of the North West Construction Knowledge Hub. The organisation's Brendon Kenney will be taking part in a discussion on the future of construction materials at 10:30 on Wednesday 26th in the Central Arena.
Search related articles
