When completing a construction project of any scale, waste is inevitable. It doesn’t matter how well you plan your project, the remediation, groundworks, and demolition will create all types of waste, including hazardous and non-hazardous. Trying to minimise and reduce your construction project waste is essential to make it more manageable and safer for employees, the public and the environment.
There’s no denying the fact that the construction industry produces an incredible amount of waste. In fact, in 2018, it was reported that the UK produced over 220 million tonnes of waste in 2018 with 62% of that being as a result of the construction, demolition and excavation industry (CDE) – according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
The construction industry is also responsible for 23% of all air pollution, 40% of water pollution and 50% of landfill waste. Not only this, the worldwide construction industry is also consuming a significant amount of the world’s natural resources, including 40% of all raw stones, gravel and sand, and roughly a quarter of all new wood produced each year. From here, you can probably understand how crucial it is to make your site as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.
However, it’s not all bad news! As the UK strives towards a greener and more sustainable future by reducing waste, in 2018, the construction industry recovered 92.3% of unused material and waste to repurpose, reducing overall waste levels. As construction businesses, project managers and site developers, it’s our responsibility to ensure as little waste as possible is created and sent to landfills.
The best and easiest way to reduce waste across your construction site is to ensure it’s managed effectively from the get-go. Here’s how you can make sure construction waste is properly managed.
Before a construction project begins, every construction site should have a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) in place. The details of the SWMP will vary from site to site however the basis should include detailed information on where the waste is going to be produced, estimations of how much waste will be produced, where the waste will be disposed and stored and how the the waste will be disposed of. It should also detail who will be responsible for removing the waste from the site – this should be a licensed and approved waste management and removal contractor.
Another way to significantly reduce the amount of waste is by sourcing your materials carefully and sustainably. When possible, you could try and use materials that have previously been recycled or opt for materials that have been sourced sustainably – reducing the demand for natural resources
Another factor in sourcing materials sustainably is ordering the correct amount. Way too often, we see construction sites over-ordering which leads to unnecessary waste and perfectly good materials which could’ve been used elsewhere.
Whenever possible, you should be aiming to reuse any materials possible before discarding them as waste products. Ensuring you safely store any bricks, timber and other leftover materials will be kept in the best possible condition should they be needed in other projects.
If leftover and waste materials can’t be used within your projects, the next step is to think about recycling. Waste metal, plastics, glass, wood and cardboard are among the several types of materials that can be recycled.
As a specialist waste management partner in Manchester, we’re focused on reducing construction waste in Manchester and the North West. We provide a range of construction waste disposal services including waste classification, waste recycling services and muckaway services for both non-hazardous and hazardous materials.
If your construction site is looking for a cost-effective and reliable waste management service to help reduce your construction waste, contact our team of experts today.