Leighton Buzzard Skips

How do building sites reduce waste? In this article we explain how to minimise waste and list some top tips for reducing construction waste effectively.

How to Minimise Waste in the Construction Industry

The UK construction industry is one of the leading consumers of natural resources and contributors waste generation. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, our construction industry produces up to 100 million tonnes of waste every year.

This is more waste than any other industry in our country, not to mention that nearly 1 million tonnes of this waste is classed as hazardous waste.

While there is increasing pressure for industries that produce a lot of waste to move towards more sustainable building practices, such as reusing and recycling materials they would otherwise throw away, a lot of the construction site waste produced in the UK still ends up in landfills.

Old bricks, concrete and other masonry, can be crushed for hardcore or aggregates, but a significant percentage of waste goes to harmful landfill sites.

Moving to more sustainable construction practices within the industry will undoubtedly help it become more environmentally friendly.

Reducing construction waste is a huge part of the solution to our environmental issues. Thankfully, there are many strategies the construction sector and those working within it can use to move towards better practices on construction sites and limit the amount of waste they produce.

Ordering

The first step in reducing waste is to ensure that construction companies select the right quantities when ordering materials from suppliers. In the vast majority of cases, those managing construction projects will overorder materials to allow for mistakes and shortages.

However, once the job is finished, these extra materials, if not used, will go straight to local landfill sites. However, ensuring you order a quantity of materials closer to what you are likely to use, the less waste there will be, and it costs you less money.

As well as having your surveyor and project manager on hand to order the right amount of materials, having a professional quantity surveyor will only make your estimates more accurate with fewer mistakes.

Recording the amount of material you are wasting as the project progresses is another good idea. These records will highlight where the most waste is coming from, so you can pinpoint any issues. It will also encourage those working on the project to avoid waste, maximising the materials you already have.

Reusing materials

It is far easier to simply throw unused materials into a skip at the end of a construction project and forget. However, while a lot of material may go to waste on one project, this doesn't mean it can't be used on another.

When you process salvaged materials into a reuse pile, you help to reduce waste typically generated in the construction industry and lower your environmental impact. You may even be able to make some money from it by forming a relationship with local reclamation yards that will pay for surplus materials.

This is especially useful during demolition projects. Carefully considering how much of the building you can save will also help reduce the amount of waste generated. 

Recycling

Published estimates propose that over 80% of the waste from UK construction projects can be recycled. This is a very large figure when you remember we throw away 100 million tonnes of construction site waste each year.

Therefore, one of the best ways to reduce construction waste is to recycle everything you can from your project. While it will eat into your time, it is essential to sort your recycling if we are going to make construction more sustainable and lower our carbon footprint.

There are organisations, such as the Construction Recycling Alliance (CRA), helping the UK construction industry make recycling the norm for the waste it produces.

They also offer helpful tips and professional advice on best practices for recycling construction waste. These include steps you can take to more sustainable waste management for all your construction projects, no matter the nature of your work.

Choose your materials carefully

Not only does our environment require us to look for immediate, short-term methods of creating a more sustainable construction industry, but we also need to contemplate the future consequences of our waste.

A great way of mitigating this future threat is to choose materials that will last far into the future without needing to be replaced. Ensuring that these long-lasting materials are also recyclable when they need replacing or demolishing is also a fantastic way to ensure future sustainability.

Hazardous waste

Again, a large portion of our construction waste is classified as hazardous. This isn't entirely our fault, as it is mostly due to poorer building regulations in the past, such as allowing the use of asbestos, lead paint and PCB.

While these materials are no longer legally viable for construction, when we demolish buildings containing them, we create hazardous waste that can greatly harm public health if they are not disposed of properly.

Given that these materials are already inside buildings, we will keep seeing them appear as older buildings are brought down.

However, raising awareness of the harm of these hazardous materials and ensuring they are disposed of correctly is the best way to keep everyone and our environment safe. If you are unsure how to dispose of a certain type of waste safely, you can contact the UK Environment Agency for advice.

Tips to reduce Construction Waste

We know that reducing construction and demolition waste is the best way to keep our environment and ourselves healthy. But how can we achieve this aim? Here are a few methods those in the construction industry can use to ensure that we reuse and recycle more materials than we send to local council landfill sites.

Plan Ahead

Again, prevention is always the best cure. Project managers and surveyors are the first people brought in to plan any construction project.

Therefore it is up to them to ensure the project is organised, with as few mistakes as possible that could lead to increased waste. They can achieve this in several ways:

• Measuring accurately allows you to know exactly how much material you will need to complete the work. After this, you can order the precise amount of material you need.
• Accounting for soft and solid waste early on allows you to arrange appropriate waste disposal services, such as placing recycling bins or containers throughout the site for surplus or waste materials.
• Determine which materials you are using can be reused and recycled before the project begins. This lets your contractors know how to sort any waste as the project progresses.
• Regular inventory checks will tell you how much of each material you have so you don't over order by mistake.

Deconstruction Before Demolition

Opting for a softer approach can also help limit the amount of waste you produce when working on a demolition project. Rather than bringing the entire building down in one go, choosing deconstruction rather than demolition might be the best way forward.

This softer approach allows you and your team to scour the building for reusable and recyclable materials, which you can sort from the rest of the debris and waste.

This can include windows, ceilings, floor tiles, plumbing fixtures and timber, which can all be sold as salvage and reused.

Deconstruction again provides a way to make more money from your project, as you can salvage as much reusable material as possible to sell once the job is done. You can even donate materials and claim tax benefits on your returns as a tax write-off, while limiting the amount of toxic dust and heavy metals released into the environment.

Reuse Or Donate Materials

Recycling Strategy

Following a Waste Hierarchy and waste management plan is the best way to sort your construction and demolition waste into what can be reused, recycled, or disposed of as a last resort. Recycling is always preferable after reusing, and many materials can be widely recycled, including:

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