Sustainability
Waste
Taking action on waste is essential, since we are consuming natural resources at an unsustainable rate and contributing unnecessarily to climate change. Each year we generate about 100 million tonnes of waste from households, commerce and industry combined. Most of this currently ends up in landfill, where biodegradable waste generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Furthermore, valuable energy is used up in making new products which are later disposed of thereby also contributing to climate change.
The construction industry is responsible for around one third of all waste. With UK's existing landfill sites beginning to reach capacity, the construction industry must accelerate progress to reduce their contribution to this national problem. The pie chart below shows the estimated total annual waste from each sector.
There are a number of ways the construction industry can reduce the amount of waste it creates, namely waste minimisation (e.g. reusing and recycling materials) and waste management. These can be addressed though an on site waste management plan.
Further details of these can be found on Wrap’s construction webpage.
Useful Links
WRAP – an organisation that helps businesses, organisations and reduce waste
Waste Aware Construction
CIWM - Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
Construction Recycling Sites - CIRIA's directory of construction recycling sites
BREMAP - Find local waste processors/recyclers
Useful Documents
Designing to encourage waste minimisation in the construction industry