Waste reduction final report -4 - Test Input

• Benchmarks for waste production linked to construction activity, for example typical
wastage rates of a product or material. This enables targets to be set for improvement
and waste reduction can then be measured.
• Understanding the composition and causes of waste. This enables actions to reduce
waste to be identified and prioritised.
• Understanding the financial cost of waste: The overall cost of waste is a combination
of the cost of materials wasted, labour to produce waste & clear it up, plus the cost of
disposal or recovery.
• Understanding the environmental cost of waste: This includes the environmental
impacts associated with manufacturing and distributing the wasted products, e.g.
embodied energy, which is usually far greater than the subsequent impacts associated
with managing the waste material, especially if it is reused.
• Landfill tax or bans: Have the effect of increasing the cost of waste management,
which in turn increases the focus companies may have on preventing waste.
• Voluntary commitments and agreements: Can lead to pan sector and supply chain
improvements.
• Supply chain partnerships: Can promote less wasteful practices such as precut
materials, return of excess product and packaging, standardisation of stock.
• Green Building standards to include credits for waste reduction and/or minimum
performance requirements relating to waste generation.
On an international basis, a G8 Meeting was held in Kobe in May 2008. The meeting adopted
3R as a main objective of the meeting as well as climate change. It is unclear if this will have
much impact on construction resource efficiency across the G8 nations. The Kobe 3R action
plan has 3 main goals with many associated actions, a selection of which are included below 2 :
Goal 1: Prioritize 3Rs Policies and Improve Resource Productivity
- Share the importance of the spirit of mottainai 3 , minimize associated life cycle
environmental impacts.
- National governments to measure the environmental and economic effects of 3Rsrelated
activities from a life cycle approach.
- Improve Resource Productivity (indicator of tonnes resources used relative to GDP)
and Set Targets
- 3Rs and Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions e.g. waste as alternative sources of
energy to fossil fuel resources, organic materials in uses such as animal feed,
composting, fermentation, and energy recovery.
- Promote and create a market for 3Rs-related Products e.g. by encouraging research
and development, certification and standards, promote the development of more ecoefficient
products through green public procurement and other policy measures.
Goal 2: Establishment of an International Sound Material-Cycle Society
- To achieve sustainable resource circulation on a global scale, place high priority on
the promotion of environmentally sound management of re-usable and recyclable
resources within each country.
- Share information and cooperate internationally on mechanisms to support proper
international resource circulation such as eco-labelling, certification schemes, or
traceability technologies.
2 Kobe 3R action plan 2008. http://www.basel.int/meetings/cop/cop9/docs/i43e.pdf.
3 Mottainai is a Japanese concept meaning that it is a shame for something to go to waste without having made
use of its potential in full.
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