Responding to waste minimisation and management ... - Wrap

Practical solutions for sustainable construction 

Responding to waste minimisation and 

management requirements 

Guidance for construction contractors

Responding to waste minimisation and management requirements 0 

WRAP helps individuals, businesses and 

local authorities to reduce waste and 

recycle more, making better use of 

resources and helping to tackle climate 

change. 

Executive summary 

Delivering good practice waste minimisation and 

management (WMM) on construction projects will help 

reduce the significant quantities of construction waste 

sent to landfill and make a substantial contribution to 

sustainable development. 

The purpose of this guidance is to assist 

contractor organisations to reduce and 

recover waste on their construction projects 

and as a consequence, comply and exceed 

client requirements. It sets out what is meant 

by waste minimisation and management 

(WMM), why it is important and the key 

considerations to ensure good practice takes 

place throughout the construction process. 

This guidance is specific to contractor 

organisations and forms supplementary 

support to a suite of guidance documents 

aimed at client organisations on how they 

can make good practice WMM an explicit 

requirement of the procurement process. 

As seen in Figure 1, these form two sets of 

parallel guidance documents with varying 

levels of detail focusing separately on how a 

client can achieve: 

good practice WMM and the use of Site 

Waste Management Plans (SWMPs); and 

effective waste minimisation, specifically 

through design but also in procurement, 

logistics and site activity. 

This document provides the key support 

to help contractors respond to client 

requirements and deliver good practice WMM 

on construction projects, and in doing so, fully 

experience the associated cost, competitive 

and environmental benefits. 

High Level 

The business case for client decision makers 

Setting a requirement for Waste Minimisation and Management 

Mid Level 

An introduction to the concepts of WMM and model wording for the procurement process 

Contents 

Executive summary 03 

Introduction 05 

Good practice waste minimisation and management 07 

Why is WMM important 09 

Key public policy drivers 10 

The true cost of waste 11 

Materials Efficiency – a contractors perspective 13 

1 Developing a Site Waste Management Plan 15 

2 Demolition 21 

3 Design 24 

4 Procurement 29 

5 Logistics 34 

6 Site operations 36 

7 Communicating the change 42 

8 Managing change – action plan 44 

9 Planning the change – check lists 46 

Client focused 

Contractor focused 

Achieving good practice 

Waste Minimisation and Management 

Achieving effective 

Waste Minimisation 

Technical Level 

An in-depth look at the areas of opportunity for reducing and managing waste 

Delivering good practice Waste Management 

Delivering effective Waste Minimisation 

Process Level 

Key actions and solutions for the contractor to respond to client requirements 

Responding to Waste Minimisation and Management Requirements 

(This guidance document) 

Figure 1. Suite of guidance documents on good practice WMM and achieving effective waste minimisation

0 Responding to waste minimisation and management requirements 


Good practice WMM guidance as well as a 

variety of information covering all aspects of 

materials used in construction, including case 

studies, reference guides and information 

on managing specific waste streams, can be 

found at WRAP’s construction portal, 

www.wrap.org.uk/construction 

Key benefits 

Increasing numbers of construction clients, 

developers, design teams and contractors are 

looking to reduce waste on their projects. The 

benefits in doing this include the ability to: 

reduce material and disposal costs 

through a reduction in the materials 

ordered and waste taken to landfill; 

increase competitive advantage through 

differentiation; 

lower CO 2 emissions; 

meet planning requirements; 

complement other aspects of sustainable 

design; and 

respond to and pre-empt changes in public 

policy, such as increases in Landfill Tax. 

Good practice Waste Minimisation 

and Management 

Good practice WMM should follow the 

principles of the waste hierarchy: reduce the 

quantity of the waste generated, and then 

maximise the amount that can be reused or 

recycled. Good practice WMM is going beyond 

standard practice to realise benefits that 

can be achieved on many projects without a 

fundamental change in working practice and 

will in most cases generate cost savings. 

Waste minimisation involves a range of 

straightforward methods to ‘design-out’ 

waste from a project and limit waste arising 

during the construction phase. Waste 

management then involves identifying 

potential waste streams, setting target 

recovery rates and managing the process to 

ensure that these targets are met. 

Using a Site Waste Management Plan 

Good practice WMM techniques and 

processes, for example using Modern 

Methods of Construction and identifying a 

site waste champion should be implemented 

through a Site Waste Management 

Plan (SWMP). 

A SWMP is not just a tool for managing 

waste on site. It should also be used as a 

tool during earlier project phases to inform 

the development of the design by identifying 

potential waste streams to minimise and 

targeting appropriate rates of recovery. 

Planning and developing the SWMP before 

construction begins will greatly help realise 

the benefits of good practice WMM. 

Roles and responsibilities 

The contractor has a key role to play 

in developing the SWMP, identifying 

opportunities to minimise and manage 

waste and implementing good practice 

WMM. To fully benefit from good practice 

WMM on a project, there should however, 

be a team effort and the contractor should 

work with other project stakeholders to 

adopt the principles of good practice at the 

earliest possible stage. Good practice WMM 

should preferably be mandated by the client 

through procurement requirements and 

then communicated and implemented by the 

design team, contractor, subcontractors, 

and waste management contractors through 

all project phases – from outline design to 

project completion. This process is illustrated 

in Figure 4 (page 8). 

Introduction 

The construction industry is the UK’s largest 

consumer of natural resources, using over 

400 million tonnes of material per annum. 

It generates more than one-third of the UK’s 

waste arisings, of which only half is reused or 

recycled (primarily aggregates and metals). 

Over 60 million tonnes of construction 

sector waste is sent to landfill or similar 

disposal sites every year. More efficient use 

of materials would make a major contribution 

to reducing the environmental impacts of 

construction including reducing demand for 

landfill and the depletion of finite natural 

resources. This would also contribute to the 

economic efficiency of the sector and of the 

UK as a whole. 

Major improvements in materials efficiency 

are possible, without increasing cost, by: 

minimising the overall creation of waste 

resulting from, for example, over-ordering 

or inefficient design; 

reducing the quantity of material sent to 

landfill during the construction process 

through effective waste management; 

recycling material already on the 

construction site into the new construction 

project; and 

using more recycled materials and 

mainstream products with higher recycled 

content, including recycled content (such 

as glass and plastic) not necessarily 

sourced from construction and 

demolition waste. 

Taking action in each of these areas in the 

sequential order outlined in Figure 2, would 

enable construction projects to achieve good 

or best practice waste minimisation and 

management (WMM) and overall 

resource efficiency. 

Waste 

Minimisation & 

Management 

Materials 

Recycling 

Figure 2: Sequence of actions to achieve resource efficiency 

Procurement 

of Recycled 

Content 

Good practice WMM can be applied to all 

forms of construction project, including 

new build, refurbishment, fit-out and 

infrastructure, regardless of the 

procurement route adopted.



This guide is intended to provide contractor 

organisations with a robust approach and 

methodology for minimising the amount of 

waste being generated and improving waste 

management throughout the construction 

processes and the recovery rate of wastes 

that are produced. The focus is on reducing 

and eliminating waste that would otherwise 

be sent to landfill, however, where residual 

waste is generated, it should be dealt with in 

a way that follows the waste hierarchy 

(Figure 3). 

Waste 

reduction 

Re-use 

Recycling & 

composting 

Energy recovery 

with heat & power 

Landfill with Energy 

Landfill 

Figure 3: The Waste Hierarchy 

In summary this guide: 

provides an overview of the opportunities 

for minimising and managing waste, 

identifying the key factors involved and 

allocating guide responsibilities to 

various departments within 

construction companies; 

focuses on setting out a priority plan 

for managing change to a new waste 

minimisation and management 

initiative; and 

sets out checklists which provide focus 

for construction companies and which 

are able to guide them through the many 

decisions required to ensure waste is kept 

to a minimum. The checklists will make 

certain that all decisions are recorded and 

have been justified. They should be used 

as a tool both on site and at a corporate 

level to ensure that the structure and 

processes are in place to facilitate the 

implementation of the waste 

management options. 

Good practice waste minimisation 

and management 

The principal objective of good practice WMM 

is to use materials more efficiently and to 

reduce the amount of waste requiring final 

disposal. Adopting the waste hierarchy 

(Figure 3) to reduce, reuse, recycle, recover 

and dispose, makes good business sense for 

the construction sector. 

Implementing strategies to minimise waste is 

the first step towards materials efficiency and 

is one of the most effective ways to solve the 

waste problem in the construction industry. 

Minimising waste eliminates the need for 

subsequent handling and associated damage. 

After opportunities in waste minimisation 

are exhausted, waste that is produced can be 

subsequently managed to divert waste from 

landfill. This will involve recovering material 

in a number of waste streams for either reuse 

or recycling. 

Figure 4 (overleaf) summarises the key 

steps and responsibilities for achieving 

good practice WMM from setting a project 

requirement by the client from the outset 

through to its implementation and feedback 

of outcomes by the contractor. Good practice 

WMM needs to be considered at the outset 

of a project when there is the most scope to 

influence the project outcomes. The potential 

for minimising and managing waste should 

then be considered in subsequent project 

phases (design and construction) by all 

parties, with the lessons learnt from the 

project implemented on future projects. 

A critical component of this process and 

delivering good practice WMM is the 

formulation and implementation of a Site 

Waste Management Plan (SWMP) at the 

pre-design stage. SWMPs often focus 

exclusively upon site activities and how waste 

streams can be recycled. To get the most out 

of the SWMP it should also address waste 

minimisation issues. The SWMP should be 

used to determine key waste streams and 

target these for reduction and recovery. Key to 

this is contractor involvement. Waste figures 

and lessons learnt should then be collected at 

post-construction and fed back to the client 

and design team.



client Design team Contractor and subcontractors 

Why is WMM important 

1. Set project 

requirement 

for good 

practice WMM 

pre-design 

2. Identify key opportunities for 

waste minimisation 

DESIGN & 

PROCUREMENT 

Report outcomes 

and Quick Wins 

Report outcomes 

and Quick Wins 

3. Plan waste management by 

developing a SWMP 

4. Tender and contractual 

requirements for good practice 

SWMP implementation and 

targeting of Quick Wins 

5. Set targets 

and Key 

Performance 

Indicators 

6. Define 

responsibilities 

and contracts 

7. Identify waste 

arisings, reuse 

and recycling 

routes 

8. Site design 

and training 

9. Monitor 

waste 

management 

10. Review 

performance of 

the SWMP and 

lessons learnt 

Figure 4: Key steps and responsibilities for achieving good practice waste minimisation and management 

PRE-CONSTRUCTION 

construction 

post 

construction 

Construction clients and developers are 

increasingly looking to set targets and 

requirements for good practice waste 

minimisation and management (WMM). 

They see it as a relatively simple and 

measurable way of making a difference 

which can be easily incorporated within a 

wider sustainability action plan. Thus, with 

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) growing 

as a major factor in pre-qualifications to 

tender, stakeholder pressure is mounting to 

clean up the construction industry and those 

who fail to act could see mounting adverse 

bottom line impact in the very near future. 

Adopting the principles of good practice 

WMM on a project can demonstrate a firm 

commitment to sustainable construction and 

environmental management. If implemented 

correctly, good practice WMM can be a 

straightforward process that can deliver a 

range of benefits in addition to improvements 

in resource efficiency. 

Key benefits include: 

minimising environmental damage 

– reduced waste means less quantity 

of landfill space used and reduced 

environmental impacts associated 

with extracting, transporting and 

manufacturing/processing the raw 

materials of the construction process; 

conserving natural resource – a reduction 

in the amount of materials actually 

required for a project and the specification 

of reused and recycled materials and 

packaging on site results in less demand 

for virgin materials, thereby stimulating 

the market for recycled materials amongst 

product manufacturers and encouraging 

higher levels of recycling throughout 

the economy; 

reduced material and disposal costs 

– less waste generated means that a 

reduced quantity of materials will be 

purchased, and less waste taken to 

landfill will reduce gate fees for disposal. 

Cost savings will stimulate the adoption 

of improved recovery practices and 

motivate a sustained change in waste 

management practice; 

increased competitive differentiation – 

benefits both developers and contractors, 

in terms of project efficiency through 

a reduction in construction costs and 

programme. This is particularly so where 

waste minimisation opportunities will 

help to meet prospective client’s 

sustainability objectives; 

responding to and pre-empting public 

policy – those organisations responding to 

the thrust in public policy making for the 

increased sustainability of construction 

and the built environment will be in an 

advantageous position in comparison with 

those that wait until they are compelled to 

act by legislation; 

increased performance against CSR 

objectives – real performance against 

corporate responsibility and sustainability 

policies can be quantified, thereby meeting 

the expectations of external stakeholders 

and employees; 

lower CO 2 emissions – avoiding the need 

to transport wasted materials both to 

and from site results in a drop in CO 2 

emissions; and 

meeting planning requirements – planning 

authorities are increasingly setting 

conditions for environmental performance 

as part of the development process.

10 Responding to waste minimisation and management requirements Responding to waste minimisation and management requirements 11 

Key public policy drivers 

The true cost of waste 

There is an increasing thrust in European, 

UK national and local policies and legislation 

to achieve greater resource efficiency 

and reduce waste sent to landfill from 

the construction industry. In addition to 

mandatory targets, many organisations are 

voluntarily applying targets to their projects 

to demonstrate their corporate social 

responsibility. While there is currently no 

regulatory obligation to reduce and manage 

waste, there are some obvious shifts towards 

greater efficiency across the industry. 1 

Landfill Tax was introduced to encourage 

organisations to reduce the amount of 

waste disposed to landfill. There are two 

rates of tax: a standard rate of £24 per 

tonne for active waste (substances that 

either decay or contaminate land) and 

a lower rate of £2 per tonne for inert 

materials (including rocks, soils, ceramics 

and concrete). The standard rate is due 

to increase by a rate of £8 per tonne until 

2010/11 and the lower rate will increase 

from £2 to £2.50 per tonne in 2008. The 

proposed increases therefore provide a 

strong financial incentive to reduce waste 

with immediate effect. 

Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) 

- The use of (SWMPs) is now a mandatory 

requirement for many projects throughout 

the UK from April 2008. Although 

SWMPs relate primarily to managing 

waste produced on site, they should be 

developed during the design stage to act 

as an effective tool to inform the design 

process and address the waste problem 

at its source. The SWMP will provide 

information, such as potential waste 

streams and their likely quantity, to enable 

strategic decisions to be made regarding 

the design and supply chain. 

The Code for Sustainable Homes is a 

voluntary scheme developed by the 

Government and Industry, and is expected 

to become mandatory in 2008. The Code 

focuses on new build housing with the 

expectation that it will be adapted to 

apply to all buildings in the longer term. 

A specific requirement within the Code 

is for a SWMP to be developed. Further 

points are awarded where the SWMP 

includes procedures and commitments 

that minimise waste in accordance with 

WRAP/Envirowise guidance. 

There is potential for waste minimisation and 

better on site waste management to positively 

affect a company’s bottom line through 

greater efficiency in the use of materials, 

resulting in cost savings not only 

in the reduction of skip hire and landfill 

charges but through the use of more 

efficient working practices. 

The true cost of waste is not just a waste 

contractor’s fee; to this one must add the 

cost of the materials being wasted and the 

time and resources gong into the process of 

disposal. The true cost of filling and disposing 

of one skip with mixed construction waste in 

one study was found to be £1,342. Although 

the skip hire was only £85, the labour cost 

to fill it was £163 whilst the cost of unused 

material in the skip was the most significant 

at £1,095. Other additional costs included the 

loss of not selling waste for salvage and poor 

packaging or overfilling of skips leading to 

double handling. 

Such an evaluation could be time consuming 

for every project. However, the table and 

calculation on the next page provide the 

facility for a quick estimate of the cost of 

disposing waste and can give you an idea of 

the potential financial gains available through 

better waste management and minimisation. 

Table 1 provides approximate data on disposal 

costs for the main waste streams reported by 

waste management contractors.² Taking the 

information from this table (column E) and 

multiplying by the material waste tonnage 

on your project will give you an indication of 

the potential cost savings available through 

undertaking initiatives to reduce and recover 

waste. This will be an underestimate of the true 

cost of waste as it excludes labour costs and 

the forgone income of not salvaging materials. 

1. NetRegs is a useful website providing free advice on environmental legislation relating to the construction sector with regular 

updates. http://www.netregs.gov.uk 

2. Cost of £120 for a 12 cu yard skip obtained as an approximate price guide from a major construction contractor; approximate tonnage 

of waste per 12 cu yard skip is an estimation provided by an experienced Quantity Surveyor; approximate cost of material per tonne was 

estimated from best fit figures in the SPONS guide


Waste material in 

tonnes (from your 

own records) 

Total cost of disposing 

of material per tonne 

(column E in Table 1) 

Potential cost saving 

through minimising 

waste (£) 

Materials efficiency – a 

contractors perspective 

x = 

Material 

A B C D E 

Cost of 12 cu yard 

skip (£) 

Approximate tonnage 

of waste per 

12 cu yard skip 

Approximate cost 

of material per 

tonne 

Skip cost per 

tonne of material 

Estimated total 

cost of disposal 

per tonne 

Metal 120 4 300 30 330 

Inert/hardcore 120 6 1650 20 1670 

Plastics 120 12 25 10 35 

Cardboard/paper 120 6 1000 20 1020 

Glass 120 4 650 30 680 

Gypsum/ 

Plasterboard 

120 12 678 10 688 

Other recyclables 120 6 300 20 320 

Table 1: Approximate disposal costs for main waste streams reported by waste contractors to WRAP 

In summary: [(Volume of waste /9.12) 

x Column B] x Column E. 

It must be noted that the potential cost savings 

estimated via the above calculation are only 

indicative of what could be achieved. 

NB: If you currently measure your waste in 

cubic metres then one 12 cubic yard skip has 

a capacity of 9.12m.³ Therefore divide your 

volume of waste in cubic metres by 9.12 (to get 

the volume in terms of 12 cubic yard skips) and 

multiply this value by the approximate tonnage 

of waste per 12 cubic yard skip, depending on 

the waste type column B of above table). This 

will then give you an estimated tonnage of 

material which can then be multiplied by the 

total cost of disposal per tonne (column E). 

Contractor commitment 

In order to address the issue of waste in 

construction, a contractor organisation must 

have rigorous high level support as this is 

critical to the success of any initiative that 

involves change. The basic elements for a 

good practice approach to the reduction and 

recovery of waste, when used wisely, can 

contribute to; bottom line benefits, improved 

stakeholder relations, high reputational 

capital, and ultimately could be an important 

success factor in achieving sustainable 

competitive advantage. 

Without corporate commitment and support, 

initiatives recommended within this guide will 

not deliver the impact possible. 

Here is a model statement that can be used 

in environmental or procurement policies to 

signal intention and provide a mandate 

for action: 

‘As part of its commitment to 

sustainable construction, [Organisation 

name] aims to improve its efficiency 

in the use of material resources. One 

targeted outcome is to continuously 

reduce the quantity of waste 

arising and increase the recovery of 

materials for reuse and recycling on 

all construction projects. Therefore, 

in its procurement, [Organisation 

name] will set requirements for its 

projects to incorporate good practice 

waste minimisation techniques and 

to plan and implement good practice 

waste management and recovery in 

accordance with WRAP guidance.’ 

How is waste generated 

In order to minimise and manage waste, 

there must be an understanding of the 

main origins of waste found in construction 

projects. Previous WRAP studies 4 identified 

the following: 

over-ordering – inaccurate materials 

estimates and the surplus ordering 

associated with the low prioritisation of 

material costs (as compared to labour 

costs) leading to chronic over-ordering; 

damage – to materials either during 

delivery or during storage on site (handling 

errors, inadequate storage, poor 

co-ordination with other trades); 

off cuts – of materials resulting 

from inefficient design and 

construction practices ; 

design changes – leading to reworking 

and wasted materials; 

temporary works materials (e.g. 

formworks, hoarding, etc); and 

packaging. 

How to minimise and manage waste 

Areas where waste is created on a project 

must be challenged and improved upon, 

ensuring waste is reduced and prevented, 

and where this is unfeasible, waste should be 

reused or recovered. A SWMP should be used 

to forecast key waste streams and quantities 

on a project and set targeted levels of 

reduction and recovery. The SWMP should be 

continually reviewed and updated addressing 

areas of opportunity that can help minimise 

and manage waste on your project. 

3. These figures are best estimates from Hippo Waste and Arup. It must be noted that real values will vary depending on the density of 

the material being disposed of 

4. WRAP, ‘Reducing material wastage in construction, Guidance for clients, contractors and subcontractors on how to deliver 

good practice in material call-off, buying and usage’


These opportunities are presented in this 

guide under six broad areas: 

demolition; 

Site Plan Management Plan 

Identify likely types and quantities of 

waste streams. 

1 Developing a Site Waste 

Management Plan 

design; 

Measure and record actual waste. 

procurement; 

logistics; 

Consider opportunities to reduce and 

recover waste in the following areas: 

site activity; and 

communication. 

The following sets out a brief overview of 

where the key opportunities are to reduce 

and manage waste – divided across the above 

categories and delivered through the use of 

the SWMP. It can also be used to navigate 

this guide and pinpoint the most relevant 

areas where you and your organisation seek 

additional guidance. The sections beyond 

this chart set out the various options that will 

encourage and facilitate waste minimisation 

and better management at all stages and in 

each process of the build. 

Not every opportunity is applicable in all 

cases but this guide should give you sufficient 

information to begin to make real changes 

on your project. It needs to be made clear to 

the reader that each option recommended 

in this guide must be judged on its own 

merit and what might work both practically 

and economically for one project might not 

for another. The guide provides a template 

for action in terms of what can be done to 

minimise waste in the construction industry 

and whilst some identified options might 

seem simple and obvious it is often the case 

that they are not identified and incorporated 

into waste management strategy and 

therefore may occur on an ad hoc basis only. 

Other options might seem less apparent and 

relate to processes away from the site yet still 

play an integral role in reducing waste. 

The idea is that users of this guide pick from 

the options highlighted and integrate them 

into their corporate strategy and/or site 

level operations. 

Demolition 

The efficient use of materials in regeneration 

Pre-demolition waste auditing 

Key Performance Indicators 

Design 

Waste minimisation in design 

The design process – contractor input 

Key Opportunities 

Use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) 

Things to consider 

Procurement 

Designer, subcontractor and waste contractor 

procurement 

Prequalification 

KPIs 

Performance based appointments 

Incentive schemes 

Material procurement 

Accurate material estimates 

Informed waste forecasts 

Packaging policy 


Logistics 

Development of a Logistics Plan 

Opportunities to minimise waste in logistics 


Site Operations 

Material Movement and Storage 

Waste Management Strategy 

Site Strategy 


Communicating and managing the change 

Action plan and checklists 

1.1 Site Waste Management Plans 

Formulating and implementing a SWMP 

on a project should be viewed as a process 

for delivering good practice WMM. The 

DTI originally published a voluntary Code 

of Practice for SWMPs in 2004 and as 

a minimum, it contains the measures 

necessary to comply with relevant waste 

legislation. However, to realise the benefits 

of good practice WMM, the SWMP should be 

developed and implemented to good practice 

standards (beyond the regulatory minimum) 

as advocated by WRAP, including guidance 

and objectives in order to maximise the 

reduction, reuse and recovery of construction 

waste. A SWMP Template has been developed 

to assist you in delivering Good and Best 

practice on projects. This template is further 

elaborated in section 1.6 and can be 

found on the WRAP website: 


Site waste management planning should 

be a continuous and iterative process, with 

input from the design team, contractor 

and subcontractors, rather than an end 

in itself. It is important that a Site Waste 

Management Plan (SWMP) is used at the 

early stages of a project as it is a framework 

that gives the potential to reduce the amount 

of waste produced. SWMPs often focus 

exclusively upon site activities and how waste 

streams can be recycled. To get the most 

out of a SWMP it should also address waste 

minimisation during the design stage of the 

project to ensure that the desired benefits of 

implementing the SWMP during later project 

stages will be realised. By early incorporation 

the SWMP can provide information, such 

as potential waste streams and their likely 

quantity, to enable strategic decisions to be 

made regarding the design and supply chain. 

Such decisions include discussions regarding 

the use of composite materials and designing 

the build dimensions to suit standard product 

sizes, hence reducing off-cuts and similar 

waste. This will allow waste production during 

different stages of construction to 

be controlled. 

The adoption of the SWMP at 

the early stages of a project 

is key to it’s successful 

WMM adoption and 

implementation, resulting in 

potential for cost savings 

1.2 Current legislation 

From April 2008 SWMPs became mandatory 

in England. Figure 5 sets out the current 

status of legislation in the UK. 

Northern Ireland: 

“The Waste Management 

Strategy 2006 - 2020 indicated 

that detailed proposals for a 

statutory requirement to prepare 

SWMPs will follow through a 

public consultation.” 

Wales: 

“A separate consultation is 

being conducted.” 

Scotland: 

“The 2006 public consultation on 

the proposed Scottish Planning 

Policy 10: Planning for Waste 

Management, included provision 

for SWMPs to form part of the 

planning conditions for new 

developments with a value in 

excess of £200,000.” 

England: 

“SWMPs are to become a 

mandatory requirement for 

projects with a value in excess of 

£300,000 from April 2008 following 

separate consultations in England 

and Wales. There will be additional 

requirements for projects valued at 

£500,000 and above.” 

Figure 5: Current snapshot of SWMP legislation


1.3 Contractor role in SWMPs 

The contractor has a pivotal role in 

formulating and implementing the SWMP. 

Where possible, the SWMP should be 

developed from the pre-design stage by an 

appointed member of the design team to 

inform design decisions. If it is a Design and 

Build (D&B) contract then this role will be 

carried out by the contractor. If a traditional 

procurement route is being followed, then the 

SWMP should be initially developed by the 

design team with input from the contractor 

and then passed to the contractor to be fully 

developed and implemented. If the SWMP is 

developed by the contractor, it is important 

that the SWMP looks back to design and is 

used to capture all actions and decisions 

made by the design team which affect waste. 

It is crucial that these decisions are carried 

through and maximised by the contractor 

on site. 

The contractor has a lead role in providing 

information to where waste might occur 

and the potential issues with the design and 

logistics on site that may result in waste. 

Thus, as a contractor you must be involved 

as early as possible in SWMP formulation 

and the identification of opportunities to 

reduce and recover waste. The contractor 

should also be responsible for bringing the 

waste management contractor on-board 

immediately so that their experience and 

knowledge is utilised from the outset in 

developing the SWMP. 

The contractor is then also responsible for the 

SWMP implementation on site and ensuring 

that the key opportunities for minimising 

and managing waste are put into effect. 

The contractor will also be responsible for 

continuously measuring and recording waste 

throughout a project and reporting back to 

the client. At post-completion, the contractor 

should gather final waste data and the 

lessons learnt so that these can be fed back 

into the SWMP and future projects. 

1.4 Recording waste and setting targets for 

waste reduction and recovery 

Waste Recovery Quick Wins 

On any project there are certain key waste 

streams that can offer significant savings, 

otherwise known as ‘Waste Recovery 

Quick Wins’. When developing the SWMP, 

the contractor should identify these. By 

implementing three to four good practice 

‘Waste Recovery Quick Wins’, there is 

potential to increase overall recycling rates 

of construction waste from standard industry 

performance by more than 20%. To assist the 

setting of target recovery rates, WRAP have 

identified good practice recovery rates for a 

comprehensive range of waste streams. 

In addition to the indicative good practice 

recovery rates identified by WRAP, the 

contractor should be monitoring its own 

waste and developing specific targets for 

the types of projects it is working on. In 

addition, by collecting data on the use of 

recycled and recovered materials on site, 

the contractor can show the overall waste 

effect that projects are having and encourage 

both a reduction in waste creation and 

increase in the use of recycled content. This 

will allow for continuous improvement and 

demonstration of good practice, which can 

be used to differentiate the contractor from 

its competitors. The following types of data 

should to be measured and recorded in the 

SWMP so that Key Performance Indicators 

can be established to improve and refine 

overall waste performance: 

Waste created per build phase – A 

logical method would be to break down 

waste creation by build phase (e.g. site 

establishment, strip-out (both soft and 

hard), construction works, fit-out, site 

clearance) to give better clarity as to 

where the waste is being created and to 

be able to set KPIs and targets for each 

phase on later projects. It will also enable 

better planning for the types and volumes 

being created. It is suggested that KPIs be 

set in tonnes per £100k of capital cost per 

build phase as waste contractors measure 

waste and charge for its removal in tonnes. 

In addition, measuring in tonnes is often 

more accurate than measuring in volume. 

Recovery of waste materials – recovery of 

materials and equipment through the strip 

out and site clearance phases should be 

recorded in addition to the amount of this 

waste that is recycled or reused on site 

(see proceeding point). This can help 

to set future recovery targets on 

construction projects. 

Reuse of materials on site - particularly 

relevant where large-scale demolition is 

included (please see more information 

in section 2). 

Constructing excellence KPIs 

The Constructing Excellence KPIs are 

a means of measuring performance 

in construction and setting targets for 

improvement. The system measures 

economic, people related and 

environmental KPIs and allows for 

benchmarking against the rest of the 

construction industry. The construction 

industry benchmarks are Department 

of Trade and Industry (DTI) funded and 

are issued annually following a review 

of performance across the industry in 

the previous year. 

The KPI for waste measured by 

Constructing Excellence is the amount 

of waste (including extracted material, 

demolition waste etc in m³ removed 

from site during the construction 

process per £100,000 of project value 

(m³/£100k). 

Once this is measured the project 

score can be plotted on a graph 

provided by Constructing Excellence 

to measure the project’s performance 

compared with the rest of the UK 

construction industry. 

Waste reduction 

Unlike waste management, waste 

minimisation does not follow a set process. 

Instead effective waste minimisation requires 

a change in attitude towards waste. If all 

members of the project team are committed 

to identifying and reducing waste then 

reductions can be made. The benefit of these 

waste reductions is that it is a direct cost 

saving to the project – for every skip of waste 

that is eliminated through waste reduction 

strategies, so is the associated cost of the 

procurement and purchase. 

Setting targets for waste reduction can be an 

effective incentive to improve. However, this 

requires careful consideration. For example, 

if the contractor has an incentive to reduce 

waste, is a realistic benchmark available from 

which improvement can be measured Also, 

does the contractor have absolute control 

over the waste quantities – recognising that 

the design is a major contributing factor 

Data on waste minimisation is limited and 

evidence to show that incentive clauses work 

is scarce. For this reason, it is recommended 

that targets are only set for defined elements 

of work where good data exists. To obtain 

this data it may be necessary to begin 

recording a baseline of performance from 

which improvement targets can be agreed, 

via negotiation, with contractors and/or 

subcontractors. 

1.5 Appointment of Waste 

Management Contractor 

As a construction contractor you must 

ensure the waste management contractor 

is appointed to coincide immediately with 

the inception of project planning and SWMP 

formulation so that their full experience and 

knowledge can be utilised. The contractor 

should make sure the waste contractor 

carries out a full waste management audit 

and provides their expert advice to assess 

potential resources for recovery and reuse 

prior to work commencing on site, if indeed 

a strip out stage is a part of the project. 

This information should be fed back into 

the SWMP development.


1.6 SWMP templates 

There is no set format that a SWMP must 

take and it is left to your discretion. However, 

WRAP has developed SWMP Template which 

will help your organisation comply with 

Duty of Care regulations and experience the 

benefits associated with good practice WMM. 

Planning site waste management during 

pre-construction is a key component to the 

SWMP and illustrates the importance of this 

project phase to effective WMM. Key features 

of good practice include: 

the person responsible for producing and 

implementing SWMP is identified. This 

person may also be given responsibility 

for ensuring compliance with Duty of 

Care regulations. This can result in an 

immediate noticeable improvement in 

waste segregation and record keeping 

for waste; 

a register is produced of the likely types 

and quantities of waste streams likely to 

be produced during construction and/or 

demolition to establish the potential for 

reuse (on or off site) and recycling; 

identification of the most significant 

opportunities to increase reuse and 

recycling rates (Quick Wins) and the 

realistic target reduction and recovery 

rates for each waste type along with a 

formal method of measurement for 

these targets; 

identification where waste materials can 

be reused on site or, where this is not 

possible, see if they can be reused off site; 

consider appropriate site practices such as 

how waste materials will be segregated, 

and the measures that will be used for 

raising site operatives’ awareness of waste 

reduction, reuse and recycling; 

training is formalised for personnel at 

each level of the waste supply chain so 

waste awareness improves. To improve 

overall awareness of the SWMP, all 

contractors must sign and formally agree 

to the document; and 

measure and record actual waste 

reduction and recovery rates to 

demonstrate compliance and 

lessons learnt. 

In addition, a good practice SWMP will: 

be tailored to the specific site; 

be used to inform the design process; 

be a collaborative document created by 

ALL departments and teams involved in 

the project; 

cover design, site, procurement and 

logistics issues, including policies and a 

logistics plan; 

make provision for waste measuring and 

monitoring during the project; 

be reviewed at the end of the project and 

the results or issues should be fed back to 

the relevant teams; and 

be a ‘live’ process with documentation that 

is continually updated throughout 

the project. 

Guidance from WRAP in developing 

and implementing “good” and “best” 

practice SWMPs is available at 


For a more general introduction to SWMPs, 

guidance is available from Envirowise at 

www.envirowise.gov.uk 

1.7 Key roles and responsibilities and 

things to consider 

The SWMP is integral to the way waste is 

minimised and managed in the various 

phases and activities of a construction project 

and as such is an extremely important aspect 

of a project. It is critical that its inception 

occurs within the design and planning phase 

as it is a driving catalyst for many of the waste 

minimisation and management opportunities 

outlined in this document. 

Table 2 sets out the key roles and 

responsibilities in developing and 

implementing a SWMP and in turn the 

opportunities for good practice WMM in 

demolition, design, procurement, logistics 

and site activity. 

SWMP Development 

Demolition 

Design 

Key roles & responsibilities in good practice WMM delivery using a SWMP 

Senior Project Management Commit and facilitate the project to develop a 

comprehensive SWMP 

Ensure responsibility is delegated to developing the SWMP 

and facilitate good practice WMM into project activity 

Maintain the SWMP with records for the job as project QA 

Design Team / Contractor 

Designer (Design & Build) 

Appoint a member of the design team to develop the SWMP 

from the pre-design stage 

Pass SWMP to contractor for full development and 

implementation 

Main Contractor Identify types and quantities of waste streams 

Assign responsibility to fully and continually develop, 

coordinate and implement the SWMP 

Ensure decisions taken by design team are incorporated 

and acted upon 

Ensure demolition contractor and waste management 

contractor are involved early on in SWMP development 

Establish waste monitoring and measurement processes 

Set targets for waste reduction, recovery and reuse 

Identify opportunities in demolition, design, procurement, 

logistics and site activity to reduce and recover waste 

Designer / Contractor 

Designer (Design & Build) 

Identify opportunities to incorporate reclaimed materials in 

new-build design 

Main Contractor Ensure communication with demolition contractor to 

determine opportunities from the demolition audit for 

materials reuse and recovery 

Communicate decisions to procurement department to 

enable them to procure accordingly 

Demolition Contractor Perform demolition audit and investigate opportunities to 

salvage materials and incorporate in new build 

Design Team / 

Contractor Designer 

(Design & Build) 

Use SWMP to consider opportunities to minimise waste in 

design 

Be flexible in design and allow for information provided 

by early contractor and waste contractor involvement to 

influence design 

Communicate decisions influencing waste to site team and 

specialist contractors 

Contractor Provide site expertise early on to influence design decisions 

and identify issues with design which may occur on site 

Ensure waste management contractor is brought in early to 

perform waste audit 

Ensure design decisions to minimise waste are 

communicated to the site team 

Waste Management 

Contractor 

Perform waste audit and determine opportunities for waste 

reduction and recovery 

Communicate these to design and contractor 

Specialist Subcontractor Provide specialist knowledge on where waste occurs and 

can be reduced


Key roles & responsibilities in good practice WMM delivery using a SWMP (table continued) 

Procurement 

Logistics 

Site Activity 

Table 2: Key roles and responsibilities 

Procurement Team Ensure designers, contractors, subcontractors and 

waste management contractors are experienced in and 

committed to waste reduction and management 

Subcontractor Perform accurate material estimates and order materials 

accordingly 

Perform accurate waste forecasts and reconcile with actual 

waste produced 

Identify take-back schemes or recycling options for surplus 

materials 

Contractor Must develop a full logistics plan and address options that 

will minimise waste 

Contractor Implement SWMP on site and maximise decisions to 

reduce and manage waste on site 

Ensure SWMP and good practice communication 

knowledge on site 

Measure and monitor actual waste and waste reduction 

Feed back lessons learnt into the SWMP and to the 

design team 

2 Demolition 

Before commencing with a project, 

particularly one which requires a degree 

of demolition or strip-out, construction 

companies should endeavour to identify 

opportunities for reuse and recycling of 

demolition and construction waste. Not only 

can demolition materials be processed for 

aggregates and fill materials, designers 

should also seek to incorporate other 

materials such as reclaimed bricks, steel 

sections, salvageable timbers, etc. Where 

materials are reused, it is important that they 

are reused at their highest value. In addition, 

maximising the reuse of materials generated 

on site through construction activities such 

as enabling works can significantly reduce 

the amount of waste generated. For example, 

careful cut and fill analysis can ensure 

ground excavated from cuttings can be used 

as fill material elsewhere such as within 

embankments, so that no waste is sent to 

landfill and there is no need to import fill. 

2.1 The efficient use of materials 

in regeneration 

WRAP’s ‘The efficient use of materials in 

regeneration’ provides good practice guidance 

to encourage greater resource efficiency 

in regeneration projects by optimising the 

quantity of: 

material recovered from demolition, for 

reclamation and recycling; 

recovered materials retained on site for 

use in new build construction; and 

recycled content used in new 

build construction. 

The guide sets out a framework for action 

based on the ICE Demolition Protocol and 

provides a step by step methodology to 

increase resource efficiency in demolition and 

new build construction. The following 

figure outlines material flow in the 

regeneration cycle: 

This chart illustrates: 

Materials from the demolition 

transported off site for recycling and 

disposal. The WRAP Regeneration guide 

seeks to encourage, and improve on, 

existing good practice, maximising the 

amount of material recovered from both 

the demolition and new build phases, and 

minimising waste arising. It draws upon 

the good practice set in the ICE Demolition 

Protocol and WRAP guidance on SWMPs. 

Materials from the demolition being 

recycled and stockpile on site for use 

in the new build. The guide encourages 

on site recycling and stockpiling, where 

possible, as the most efficient use 

of material. 

Recycled (and primary) materials being 

transported onto site for use in the new 

construction. The guide encourages the 

use of products and materials recovered 

on site form the demolition. It draws on 

WRAP’s Recycled Content Quick 

Wins resources. 

2.2 Pre-demolition waste auditing 

Demolition audits can identify opportunities 

for reuse of hard and soft strip materials 

both on site and in general. Pre-demolition 

audits would normally be undertaken 

during contract bidding or at the start of the 

demolition phase of the project. However, 

if the pre-demolition audit is undertaken 

during the design phase then the recovery 

of material from the demolition works can 

be maximised. It can be used by designers 

collecting information and data to allow 

them to take account of materials resource 

efficiency in the design, and estimate KPI 

requirements. If the alternative approach, 

of undertaking the pre-demolition audit 

during bidding or at the start of the 

demolition, is adopted the approach will 

be of interest to contractors. 

A key element in maximising the recovery 

of demolition arisings at source is ensuring 

that sufficient time is available to complete a 

pre-demolition audit and prepare a plan for 

material recovery. This process is enhanced 

by ensuring that the requirements for 

material recovery are included within the 

procurement of demolition services.


The preferred approach to pre-demolition 

advocated in WRAP’s regeneration guidance 

would be to commission a pre-demolition 

audit as part of the design stage. 

This would provide: 

data on the potential range and quantities 

of recovered materials available for the 

new build, allowing the designer to modify 

the new build design to maximise the 

amount of on site recovered materials; and 

data for inclusion in the tender 

documents, removing the need for 

multiple ‘pricing audits’ to be undertaken 

by the contractors bidding for the work 

and maximising the likelihood of 

innovative proposals for the demolition 

which improve the quantity of 

recovered materials. 

Figure 6: The MRER approach 

Policy 

Feasibility 

Clients and other policy setters 

WRAP Regeneration Guide provides the 

methodology for a demolition audit to enable 

the creation of KPIs for the resource recovery, 

it also assists in setting out a New Build Bill of 

Quantities (BOQ) to summarise the potential 

for using the recovered materials in the build. 

The WRAP Regeneration Guide is as follows: 

1. produce a Bill of Quantities of the 

different materials in the buildling 

to be demolished; 

2. identify the tonnage of materials that 

can be recovered; and 

3. determine the percentage of 

materials recoverable. 

This fulfils the requirements of the SWMP, 

where an estimation of the quantities of arising 

that will be generated during the demolition 

process and identification of methods to deal 

with them is necessary. 

Set overall policy 

client consultant contractor 

Set project policy 

and outline 

KPI targets 

Construction companies must ask four 

questions at the strip-out stage and the table 

below identifies the department(s) which 

should be responsible for acting upon these 

questions and the related actions. 

Provisions must be made to find uses for 

resources recovered from the strip-out, 

particularly those which can be reused. 

A good start is to contact local resource 

recovery charities and publicise excess 

material and equipment on waste exchange 

data-bases, 5 particularly when they cannot be 

reused on site or on other company projects. 

These websites provide information on 

companies or organisations that could use 

the equipment either in the locality or 

further afield. 

2.3 Key Performance Indicators 

There are two Key Performance Indicators 

(KPIs) which should be used to drive forward 

the recovery and reuse of demolition and 

construction waste material on a project. 

These include: 

the Demolition Recovery Index (DRI) 

– describes the efficiency of material 

recovery from demolition calculated as the 

quantity of materials recovered from the 

demolition process, divided by the total 

quantity of materials generated by it. 

the Retained Material (RM) KPI 

– a measure of the extent of reuse of 

demolition materials on site, calculated 

as the quantity of recovered materials 

generated from the demolition phase 

that are used in the new build, divided by 

the total quantity of recovered materials 

created from the demolition. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER 

Ensure comprehensive understanding of the principles of 

WRAP’s Efficient Use of Materials in Regeneration. 

Contractor should bring the waste management and 

demolition contractor on-board immediately. 

Design team should be made aware of the data from the 

demolition/new build audits to incorporate demolition 

material into new build design. 

Ensure procurement team is aware of demolition materials 

available and responds accordingly. 

Outline 

design 

Detailed 

design 

Demolition 

New build 

Evidence of materials 

resource efficiency 

performance 

Set project material resource 

efficiency objectives 

Review of detailed design 

Set requirements in tenders 

and planning submission 

Calculate KPI targets 

Review of outline design 

pre-demolition audit 



performance 

Tender invitation responses 

Assessment of feasibility of 

MRER objectives and 

KPI targets 

Planning of demolition 

to meet materials 


objectives and KPIs 



performance 

Selection and 

procurement of 

materials to meet 

objectives and KPIs 

Question 

1. Can the materials be 

recycled or reused within 

the new build 

2. Can materials be 

reused elsewhere within 

the company 

Who should be involved 

Design team Procurement team Site team 

The design team should 

follow the ICE Demolition 

Protocol and WRAP’s 

Efficient Use of Materials 

in Regeneration guide. 6 

Table 3: Structuring the materials recovery process 

The procurement team 

should be responsible for 

finding out where these 

materials might be needed 

in the company and whether 

it would be economically 

viable to deliver them to the 

specified site. 

The site team should utilise 

the expertise and knowledge 

of the waste management 

contractor. 

Close out 



performance 



performance 



performance 

Review and feedback Review and feedback Review and feedback 

5. See Table 7: Materials Exchange Websites 

6. WRAP’s Efficient Use of Materials in Regeneration guide is a step-by-step guide linking the Demolition Protocol through to the 

initiation of a SWMP


3 Design 

Opportunity 

Fundamentals 

Description 

Fundamental design decisions, such as whether to demolish an existing facility or not, will 

have the greatest impact on waste. Thus, it is at concept stage where the greatest opportunities 

lie. For example, a simple structure should have less waste than a complex structure. This is 

because almost all interfaces require materials to be cut, and every cut results in waste. The 

simpler the interface, the less cutting and less waste. 

On site reuse 

of materials 

Maximising the reuse of materials on site can significantly reduce the amount of waste generated 

from the enabling works. For example, careful cut and fill analysis can ensure ground excavated 

from cuttings can be used as fill material elsewhere such as within embankments, so that no 

waste is sent to landfill and there is no need to import fill. 

3.1 Waste minimisation in design 

The majority of opportunities to reduce waste 

exist up-front during the design stage, when 

either the design process or the design itself 

can be altered to take into account solutions 

to reduce waste. However, opportunities also 

exist when the design is already formulated 

and construction underway. 

The principle of waste minimisation in design 

involves ‘designing out waste’ so to reduce 

the quantity of waste before it arrives on site. 

Early consideration is essential. For example, 

decisions to use off site, modular construction 

can often impact upon multiple elements 

while also substantially reducing waste from 

on site processes. Getting the design right 

– i.e. ensuring that wasteful elements have 

already been addressed – means that the 

contractor’s role is much simpler on site. 

Failure to think about waste at the design 

stage means that, conversely, the contractor 

will often be unable to reduce some of the 

wasteful elements which have been ‘locked 

in’ by the designer. 

Some opportunities to reduce waste may 

require more consideration to achieve than 

others. Specific opportunities do exist that 

involve simple changes or ‘tweaks’ to the 

design or construction process. However, 

some of the larger opportunities may require 

a little more consideration to be realised 

as they may involve more fundamental 

changes, either to the way in which the 

design is produced, or to the design itself. 

For example, a discreet change to a design 

which resulted in reduced off cuts could be 

termed an immediate opportunity. However, 

to achieve significant improvements in waste 

reduction it is likely to require a team effort 

and some fundamental reviews of the design 

and construction process, for example, 

establishing a process of waste reviews by 

the design team on an ongoing basis. These 

require earlier consideration and a holistic 

approach with a potentially larger more 

lasting impact. 

3.2 The design process – contractor input 

Either held as a separate waste minimisation 

workshop, or added to the agenda of a design 

team meeting, waste minimisation requires 

a slot in the design development process. 

Simply by looking for waste throughout design 

it is likely that easy, short term solutions 

will be uncovered so, by allocating specific 

time to review and discuss waste reduction 

opportunities then improvements should 

be possible. Opening sessions to the wider 

project team (not just designers) means a 

wider pool of experience will be drawn from 

and more informed suggestions tabled. 

It is essential that the contractor realises 

their key role in informing and influencing 

design. If the project is a Design and Build 

(D&B) contract then the contractor may be 

heavily involved in the design itself and will 

have influence over the strategic decisions 

regarding minimising waste. Contractors 

and subcontractors also have first hand 

knowledge of what causes waste and how this 

can be reduced. The contractor can also help 

identify where conflict in the design may arise, 

and if changes to design are necessary, the 

best way of performing such alterations with 

minimal impact on waste. Thus, contractor 

input is substantial and essential. Conversely, 

designers need to be flexible in their approach 

and respond to the information provided 

by contractors. Where feedback from site 

suggests that waste could be reduced if the 

design were amended then designers should 

be willing to explore these opportunities. Key 

to this process is partnering across the design 

and construction team. 

Standardisation 

of building form 

and layout 

Standardisation 

of building 

materials 

Designing 

to standard 

material sizes 

Off site/modern 

methods of 

construction 

Change 

management 

Maintaining 

flexibility 

Not only can demolition materials be processed for aggregates and fill materials, designers 

should also seek to incorporate other materials such as reclaimed bricks, steel sections, 

salvageable timbers etc. Where these can’t be used they can often be sold for reuse elsewhere. 

Many of these decisions are recurrent in regeneration projects. For more information specific 

to regeneration please see WRAPs guidance document ‘Efficient use of materials in 

regeneration projects.’ 

Repetition of design and element dimensions, either within a building layout or across a 

range of buildings reduces waste by reducing the number of variables and associated offcuts. 

Standardisation also allows for the reuse of formwork and falsework and a reduction in mistakes 

and reworking. 

Not only can the building form be standardised, but so can the use of materials. For example, 

limiting the number of cladding solutions should mean that this limited range of materials can be 

used more efficiently (i.e. less offcuts). 

Simplification of material choice can increase opportunities for use of offcuts and surplus 

materials. For example, rationalising the number of concrete mixes can ensure surplus for a 

particular pour can be used in other parts of the concrete works having the same specified mix 

reducing the need for expensive part-loads or wastage due to over-ordering. 

As well as incorporating common materials within the design and specification, the construction 

programme should be planned so that elements with the same material type are either 

constructed at the same time or a provision is made for storage and later use of the 

surplus material. 

Designers have the ability to design building layouts to fit the manufactured dimensions of 

the materials that will be used. For example, wall dimensions may be designed to incorporate 

standard plasterboard sizes. Conversely, it may be possible for the supplier or manufacturer to 

cut plasterboard to meet the dimensions and fittings required of the design. 

Designing for the preferential use of prefabricated units can eliminate or reduce the site cutting 

and handling of materials, having dramatic effects on waste. Off site manufacture has been 

shown to reduce waste by up to 90% (volumetric building systems versus traditional). The 

decision to use off site construction is often cost led, determined by a critical number of units. 

Rarely is the cost of waste considered in this equation, however, if waste costs were reduced by 

90%, the threshold for using off site construction could drop dramatically and have an associated 

impact on waste. 

Designs are often changed throughout the site works with the resultant rework generating 

considerable volumes of waste. Freezing designs and eliminating variations can significantly 

improve the waste profile (along with reducing cost). Where it is known the site will face 

particular constraints which may impact on waste, then the design should accommodate 

strategies to manage this. 

Conversely, where feedback from site suggests that waste could be reduced if the design were 

amended then designers should be willing to explore these opportunities. In this sense the 

design should not be too prescriptive, allowing adjustments to be made on site with minimal 

consequence on time, cost and quality. 

Table 4: Structuring the materials recovery process


3.3 Key opportunities 

On the previous page are some of the 

headline opportunities open to minimise 

waste in design. Further information is 

available in WRAP, ‘Designing out waste in 

construction’, see Table 4 (page 25). 

3.4 Use of Modern Methods of 

Construction (MMC) 

Wherever possible construction companies 

should look to incorporate the use of off site 

pre-fabricated components where possible. 

Off site prefabrication can lead to economies 

of scale, improved quality and programme 

reductions. Waste can also be reduced by 

up to 90% (volumetric building systems 

versus traditional) and better regulated at a 

factory level than on site. MMC are commonly 

defined as being those methods that involve 

a considerable level of Off Site Manufacture 

(OSM) and/or assembly. Due consideration 

should therefore be made to using or applying 

MMC/OSM where feasible on projects. This 

can include large elements of a building 

through to standardised sub assembly of site 

specific components. (i.e. column claddings 

fabricated off site and delivered in kit form) 

In addition to the growing skills shortage 

which has led to escalation in construction 

costs, MMC are increasingly seen as 

having the following clear advantages over 

traditional methods of building:- speed of 

delivery, improved consistency in quality and 

environmental characteristics. Increased 

use of MMC/OSM should receive significant 

consideration in the design and procurement 

process. This will require a commitment to 

and communication with supply partners in 

order to realise full advantage. 

Construction elements 

Ductwork and 

mechanical & 

electrical equipment 

Cladding 

Flooring and ceilings 

Rooms 

Washrooms 

Kitchens 

Plant room 

Description 

Table 5: Examples of construction elements that typically lend themselves to Modern Methods 

of Construction (MMC) and Off Site Manufacturing (OSM) 

The WRAP document, “Current Practices 

and Future Potential in Modern Methods 

of Construction” highlights the potential 

of a range of off site methods to impact 

on waste minimisation. This is available 

in full and summary form at 


Some projects also lend themselves more 

readily to the use of modern methods and the 

use of off site fabrication than others because 

of site characteristics or the nature of what is 

being built, see Table 5. 

Ductwork and M&E systems can be fabricated in a modular nature allowing it to be easily 

transported to site and fitted with minimal waste. 

Internal and external wall cladding can be fabricated in panels made to size and fitted on 

site. Other areas where off site fabricated cladding can be used are on internal columns, 

ceilings and roofs. 

These off site systems can be delivered to site pre-fabricated into cassettes that can be 

quickly and easily fastened together on site. 

Whole volumetric rooms can be manufactured off site. 

These can be manufactured off site and delivered either in a 2-D or 3-D format to the site. 

Plumbing and other fittings are included thus minimising packaging and plumbing waste. 

Kitchen areas can be manufactured and delivered to site in a similar fashion to washrooms. 

Plant rooms can be fully fabricated and delivered as a complete package to site where they 

can be fitted into position with limited disruption. 

Other equipment Lifts and escalators 

Pre-assembled back office equipment 

Pre-fabricated and assembled doors, windows and frames.


Space constrained sites: Using off site fabricated elements in the build reduces the 

amount of work on site and as a consequence reduces the number of contractors on 

site at any one time. In the case of the latter, the use of MMC and OSM also provides a 

Health & Safety benefit, as well as a reduction in waste arising on site. 

Repetitive design: Some projects and builds are designed with repetitive elements. 

The more repetitive the design, the greater the potential benefits of MMC/OSM. 

4 Procurement 

Projects with tight timescales: The use of traditional methods usually means that 

work packages must be completed sequentially. Using MMC/OSM, the different 

packages can be worked on simultaneously and clever use of scheduling can ensure 

the project programme is compressed. 

Box 1: Projects more conducive to modern methods and off site manufacturing 


If design is tendered out externally on a Design & Build project, the contractor design 

team must have the relevant experience in designing out waste. 

The design team must take a lead in the creation of the SWMP from the pre-design 

stage and communicate strategic decisions to the contractor. 

Design teams and contractors should review the design and implement opportunities 

to design out waste and MMC as early as possible in the design process. 

Early contractor involvement should identify waste streams and conflicts in 

the design. 

Designers should be flexible in their approach and incorporate opportunities from 

the pre-demolition audit and feedback from contractors. 

Minimise design change where possible. 

The procurement of both project teams 

and the materials ordered has a significant 

impact on good practice WMM. Optimising 

procurement processes can help to ensure 

that you are employing people who are 

experienced and capable in the WMM initiative 

and also ascertain that frameworks are in 

place with the right partners to minimise 

waste down the supply chain before 

reaching site. 

In addition, the procurement of accurate 

and reliable material quantities required 

on a project can reduce the occurrence of 

surplus materials brought to site only to be 

wasted. Contingency ordering to account 

for waste is often inaccurate and unreliable 

and results in over ordering and material 

wastage. An accurate assessment of the 

materials required should be made, along 

with an informed allowance for wastage. 

This is primarily a subcontract issues as it is 

subcontractors who usually place orders for 

materials with suppliers. 

4.1 Designer, subcontractor and waste 

management procurement 

Assessment of capacity and competence 

to respond to a requirement for waste 

management and minimisation should be 

included in pre-qualification processes for all 

parties involved in delivering a project (e.g. 

designers, contractors, subcontractors 

and consultants). 

This information could be requested through 

the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire 

followed by an in-depth interview to explore 

these issues. The use of a pre-qualification 

questionnaire allows the supplier to 

prepare for the interview and highlights the 

importance of the waste issue. For further 

information on example pre-qualification 

and interview questions including guidance 

on how to structure and word forms of 

appointment for suppliers refer to WRAP’s 

Achieving Good Practice Waste Minimisation 

and Management guide, 7 where model 

procurement wording is available. 

4.1.1 Designers and subcontractors 

What we really want to know from designers 

and subcontractors at the tender stage is 

whether they have the skills and experience 

to implement good practice waste 

minimisation and management. It is critically 

important to achieving a minimal waste 

approach that designers and subcontractors 

are able to implement good practice waste 

management and minimisation and can 

identify waste recovery quick wins both in 

the design process and on site. Therefore, 

they should be able to demonstrate an 

appropriate awareness and working 

knowledge accordingly. 

In particular, the subcontractor has a 

key role in developing waste estimates to 

inform SWMP development. Thus, linking 

procurement of subcontract packages to the 

Site Waste Management Plan ensures that 

specialist trade input is obtained and accurate 

figures are used in the waste estimates for 

the project. Main contractors, must therefore 

ensure that, where possible, subcontractors 

are engaged and challenged on the waste 

they are likely to generate (see overleaf 

section 4.2 on Materials Procurement 

and waste forecasts). 

If an interview stage is included, questions 

could check the specific skills and knowledge 

levels required by each type of consultant. 

Whilst it is important that all consultants 

and contractors understand the issue of 

good practice Waste Management and 

7. http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction


Minimisation, specific skills are required 

by certain roles. For example, the designer 

should have a good working knowledge of 

waste minimisation methods in design and 

be able to begin the development of the 

SWMP. Similarly, the subcontractor should 

demonstrate experience of operating a 

site waste management plan in line with 

published good practice, and know how to 

manage subcontractors and waste service 

providers to deliver the required data and 

site practices. 

Further environmental and company level 

questions could also be used to assess the 

designers and subcontractors and example 

criteria that could be used is as follows: 

A requirement for ISO 14001, EMAS 

or BS 8555. 

Waste management and broader 

environmental policy statement and 

evidence of past performance in 

minimising/eliminating waste on site. 

Experience of working with materials 

suppliers to minimise waste, particularly 

if they will be responsible for procurement 

(more subcontractor oriented). 

4.1.2 Waste management contractors 

The waste management contractor should 

share in the responsibility for minimising 

waste. As part of the prequalification process 

construction companies must seek to obtain 

performance information from the waste 

management contractors being considered 

for a project prior to appointment. A critical 

requirement is to request a copy of the waste 

contractor’s licence as this is an obligation 

under the Duty of Care regulation. 

In terms of minimising waste, examples of 

good questions to ask in prequalification are: 

Does your company audit and monitor 

its waste performance facilities and 

service delivery 

How have you worked in partnership 

with contractors and/or subcontractors 

to measure quantities of specific waste 

streams to help achieve high levels of 

waste recovery 

KPIs 

KPIs should be established to which waste 

management contractors must commit 

before they are appointed. For example, 

an essential KPI for a waste management 

contractor would be that they have a system 

in place for quantifying site specific waste. If 

waste can not be measured effectively, then 

performance can not be monitored 

and rewarded. 

Performance based appointments 

Prior to their appointment, the price for 

the waste management service should be 

negotiated on the basis of performance so 

as to encourage the optimisation of waste 

materials segregation and recovery. This 

would mean waste management costs may 

vary from month to month but it would put 

the onus on the waste contractor to recover 

as much waste as is feasibly possible. As part 

of the price negotiation the waste contractor 

should identify specific waste streams which 

they are committed to reducing during the 

project. Performance should be backed up 

by hard data and regular and random checks 

made on the waste contractor to check 

their methods. 

Incentive schemes 

Additionally the waste contractor should be 

further incentivised to recycle and recover as 

much as possible. Construction companies 

could devise a league table of waste 

management suppliers with points being 

awarded for good performance. This would 

lead to a ranking of preferred suppliers with 

the better performers being awarded the jobs. 

Selection process 

The selection of a waste contractor should 

be based on commitment to recover and 

reuse waste from site and where appropriate 

previous recorded performance from a 

league table. The following paragraph should 

be considered for inclusion in the waste 

contractor’s appointment contract. 

With regards to the project objective for good practice waste minimisation and 

management, the waste contractor’s responsibilities under this contract are to: 

Meet the agreed minimum recovery targets for the specific waste streams included 

on the specified ‘List of agreed Quick Win waste streams’ unless otherwise agreed in 

writing by the main contractor. 

Develop and implement the SWMP in accordance with the methodology included 

in the contract documents and undertake the measures to minimise waste 

contained therein. 

Measure waste arising during the works and compare with the minimum recovery 

rates set under this contract and then report these findings to the main contractor 

(in a form to be agreed) every [X] weeks at project meetings. This includes measures 

to be implemented to meet the minimum recovery rates if actual recovery is 

below target. 

4.2 Materials procurement 

Far too often materials are brought to site 

only to then be wasted. Surplus material is 

seldom offered for use elsewhere and often 

ends up in site skips and ultimately landfill. 

Good practice WMM in procurement involves 

producing accurate and reliable estimates of 

material quantities required on a project. 

Contingency ordering to account for 

waste is often inaccurate and unreliable 

and results in over ordering and material 

wastage. An accurate assessment of the 

materials required should be made, along 

with an informed allowance for wastage. 

This is primarily a subcontract issue as 

it is subcontractors who usually place 

orders for materials with their suppliers. 

Accurate procurement and the reduction in 

surplus should be a measurable deliverable 

monitored by the site manager. 

Procurement of accurate material orders 

will minimise over-ordering and subsequent 

waste. Accurate forecasting of waste and 

reconciliation of materials used and those 

disposed of will also lead to improved 

materials ordering. 

4.2.1 Produce accurate materials estimates 

To avoid over-ordering, sub contractors 

need to produce accurate estimates of 

the materials they require. To do this they 

need accurate information from which they 

can produce their own take-off, converting 

project requirements into a materials 

allowance. (i.e. converting a m 2 of brick wall 

into X number bricks). It is also important 

that design teams and main contractors 

ensure that subcontractors receive adequate 

information, and if not, subcontractors should 

be encouraged to ask for it. A collaborative 

approach is required. 

For most trades this can be very accurate, 

especially where specialist estimating 

software is available. The main problem 

usually arises in subcontractors being given 

inadequate information. Design teams 

and main contractors should ensure that 

subcontractors receive the information they 

need, and if not, sub contractors should be 

encouraged to ask for it. Again, a collaborative 

approach is required. Material estimates 

can be further improved through using more 

precise measuring tools such as CAD and 

bespoke digital estimating software. 

4.2.2 Informed waste forecasts 

In addition to accurate materials estimates, 

subcontractors should also make informed 

waste forecasts. It is unlikely that a wastage 

allowance will be completely eliminated as 

in some instances wastage is unavoidable. 

However, a wastage allowance should 

be as low as possible and well informed.


Subcontractors should record how much 

waste they generate (a useful figure to 

measure business performance) as a 

baseline, and to that then modify the 

allowance up or down depending upon site 

conditions. For example, if there is an efficient 

logistics plan that will eliminate damage of 

materials to the work face then this should be 

reflected in the wastage allowance (and also 

in the tender price). Finally the reconciliation 

of materials ordered and materials used 

should further inform the wastage rate on 

subsequent projects. 

There are several ways in which the site 

manager could aim to enhance the accuracy 

of materials procurement. These are 

as follows: 

1. Take control of all materials procurement 

by bringing it “in-house”. Many companies 

sub-contract their procurement to the 

contractors they hire. If these contractors 

do not have the same mindset for reducing 

waste then over procurement will be 

maintained as industry standard practice. 

Procurement can then be refined over 

time through measuring, monitoring 

and feedback. 

2. Incentivise subcontractors. Reward 

positive steps by subcontractors in 

minimising their over-procurement and 

identifying alternative destinations for 

the waste that arises. It should be noted 

that as with all other industries tacit 

knowledge on how improvements can be 

made exists with the workers doing the job 

and small gestures of good will on behalf 

of the company can often yield significant 

benefits and nurture a positive attitude 

towards improvement. 

3. Penalise over-procurement by 

subcontractors. Working with 

subcontractors to build relationships and 

provide advice is clearly more desirable. 

However, where a site is underperforming 

the site manager should perform a root 

cause analysis and take remedial action. 

4.1.3 Packaging policy 

The construction industry, as a major waste 

producer, must play a big role in ensuring that 

all materials and equipment brought to site 

come with minimal packaging. The cost of 

packaging is set out in Box 2 overleaf and this 

highlights the financial opportunities that can 

be realised both in segregation and through 

minimisation. Provision of a consolidation 

centre or waste management zone can help 

this, but subcontractor/supplier participation 

is essential in tackling the problem 

holistically. Construction companies should 

look to initiate a minimal packaging policy 

which would set out the corporate stance on 

volumes of packaging being produced. This 

policy must then be issued to suppliers and 

subsequent actions might involve working 

with suppliers to optimise packaging and the 

materials it is made from. Frameworks with 

suppliers should also be considered which 

ensure packaging is reusable and returned to 

the supplier after use. 

The use of reuseable packaging is a good 

opportunity for waste reduction, particularly 

with regular suppliers, where goods are 

heavily packaged. Where packaging is a 

necessity suppliers should be encouraged 

to firstly minimise its use and to identify 

opportunities for using packaging that can be 

reused (e.g. when transporting plasterboard 

stack it on timber bearers or pallets rather 

than plasterboard off-cuts). The use of a 

consolidation centre and just in time delivery 

can reduce the risk of damage on site. 

This again provides an opportunity for the 

suppliers to reduce or reuse packaging for 

goods in transit. 

Estimated weekly disposal costs of construction waste 

Waste Type Average weekly cost (£) 

Mixed skip of packaging waste 278 

Segregated packaging waste 197 

 

Cardboard 72 

Polythene Film 38 

Timber Pallets 87 

Source: Establish tonnages, and cost effectiveness of collection, of construction site 

packaging waste. WRAP, 2005 

Box 2: The average weekly costs associated with packaging 


Include waste management and minimisation criteria in pre-qualification for 

works packages. 

The procurement team must ensure accurate materials ordering takes place working 

to requirements set. 

The site team should measure and monitor waste and feed this information back into 

the procurement process to inform waste forecasts and accurate materials ordering. 

If procurement is carried out by subcontractors then the site management team, 

in conjunction with the procurement team, should work with the subcontractor and 

ensure feedback is available by which their processes can be refined. 

Look to develop relationships with key suppliers to encourage take back schemes for 

excess materials. 

Develop minimal and/or reusable packaging policies for procured materials.


5 Logistics 

Opportunity 

Description 

Supply of materials to site 

Consolidation Centres can be utilised in order to control inventory from one central source. 

Deliveries which would normally go straight to site are instead delivered to the allocated 

consolidation centre. The materials and equipment required for a single day are then 

transferred to site at a time stated by the site contractor. Through this optimised delivery 

of materials the consolidation centre is able to reduce the amount of damage to materials 

caused as a consequence of being stored on site for unnecessary lengths of time before 

they are needed. 

Consolidation centres 

An improved and optimised logistics 

strategy for the delivery of materials to site 

can reduce the transportation of equipment 

and materials and lead to better control 

of inventory on and off site and thus, a 

reduction in the quantity of waste occurring 

through over ordering and damage from 

over-handling. Subsequently, delays, 

re-work and costs should be reduced leading 

to a better return on investment. In addition, 

there are potentially social benefits with 

regards to health and safety and interference 

with the surrounding community. 

The following sections outline opportunities 

where construction companies can use 

improved logistics and inventory handling 

to their benefit. 

5.1 Development of a Logistics Plan 

The development of a robust logistics plan 

is fundamental to effectively reduce waste 

and is the responsibility of the contractor. 

The development of such a plan is of integral 

importance to the project as it is the logistics 

version of the SWMP and sets out the strategy 

for getting materials to site. It should be used 

in conjunction with the SWMP. The creation 

of the plan must take place as part of the 

design and planning phase of any project and 

as with the SWMP, should be kept as a ‘live’ 

document and refined going forward. 

A logistics plan would be the platform for 

greater programme efficiencies, reduced 

waste caused by damage and enhanced 

materials resource planning and delivery 

schedules all of which can contribute to 

minimising waste. The plan should address 

how waste can be mitigated, and how cost, 

time and quality can be improved. 

WRAP has developed a comprehensive good 

practice guidance for developing a material 

logistics play, which can be found at 


5.2 Opportunities to minimise waste 

in logistics 

Most construction projects involve complex 

materials supply arrangements. Below are 

some waste reduction opportunities which 

can be developing a logistics plan. 


Develop an in-depth logistics plan at the project planning 

stage covering materials ordering and delivery schedules in 

conjunction with the site waste management plan. 

Consider the use of a consolidation centre particularly on a 

space constrained site. 

Improve delivery scheduling to minimise on site storage. 

Arrange take back schemes with suppliers for excess 

materials and packaging. 

Just in time delivery 

Take back schemes 

Site demand smoothing 

The benefit of a consolidation centre is that it provides a secure environment for materials 

storage with efficient handling procedures. It also reduces the volume of materials being 

stored on site and so can help reduce accidental damage. 

Consolidation centres can be beneficial particularly on space constrained sites in addition 

sites which have restricted or poor access can benefit from a reduced number of deliveries 

each day which is characteristic of using a consolidation site. Another benefit of using 

a consolidation centre is the potential to reduce packaging delivered to site by having 

materials unpackaged at the centre and delivered just in time. This can help to reduce 

damage incurred by having excessive amounts of materials on site and means that 

packaging waste can be consolidated for recycling or returned to the supplier for reuse. All 

of this can potentially contribute towards an associated cost saving. It should be noted that 

the business case for use of a consolidation centre should be considered on a project-byproject 

basis. 

It is also important to note that consolidation centres need not be external but can indeed 

be controlled areas on the periphery of the site. In this way a consolidation centre can be 

used as a controlled and combined materials handling and waste management zone. 

Just-in-time (JIT) delivery involves the delivery of materials to site only when they are 

required for installation. When rigorously applied, JIT logistics is one of the most effective 

techniques to minimise waste arising from over-ordering, damage, design change, and 

programming and planning because, by definition, it permits the delivery of only those 

materials that are immediately required for construction. JIT delivery can take place 

through a consolidation centre or direct from suppliers. 

‘Take back’ schemes with suppliers can be set up so surplus materials are returned and 

do not enter the waste stream. Most of the outbound goods flow on a construction site is 

categorised as waste. Therefore, a supplier of inbound goods would need a waste carriers 

licence in order to carry out reverse logistics of this nature. It is recommended that 

framework agreements with suppliers are considered to tie suppliers into taking back any 

excess material that could be used elsewhere. Otherwise the use of consolidation centres 

which operate with a waste carriers licence could be used as a way of taking back excess 

material for use at a later stage. 

Demand smoothing is a technique which involves analysing the project programme and 

smoothing the peaks and troughs in demand for either materials or labour. By smoothing 

out these peaks, ‘pinch points’ can be reduced as these high areas of activity often result in 

errors and waste. 

Using an integrated ICT system is a powerful tool used to manage materials flow. 

Particularly useful for large, complex projects, this provides a highly transparent picture of 

what materials are required when. 

Integrated ICT 

Table 6: Materials Logistics


6 Site operations 

Improved materials handling and storage 

around site as well as waste management 

methods on site and better planning from 

the outset, will further reduce waste and 

increase recovery rates. It is important that 

all stakeholders are involved and educated in 

good practice WMM principles and activities 

on site. 

6.1 Material movement and storage 

6.1.1 Materials handling strategy 

A materials handling strategy should form 

part of a logistics plan as a total reduction 

in material handling through for example, 

delivering materials direct to the point of use 

or the use of appropriate mechanical plant 

will also reduce waste. Another example 

is using small, moveable trolleys that are 

designed to carry the appropriate materials 

ensure that materials can be moved around 

site with ease. If these are kept to a manual 

handling size, then there is less chance of 

accidents (both to the materials and the 

workforce). 

6.1.2 Materials storage 

Appropriate material storage on site is 

important to ensure materials are not 

unnecessarily damaged and wasted. A 

consolidation centre on or off site as well as 

just in time delivery to minimise storage on 

site can aid in this process. 

6.2 Waste management strategy 

The waste management strategy on site 

forms part of the SWMP development and 

should be determined early on in the project 

planning process. Quick Wins for waste 

reduction and recovery should have been 

discussed prior to site activity. However, 

any additional Quick Wins proposed by the 

contractor once on site should be reviewed 

Definition of a Waste Recovery Quick Win 

A Waste Recovery Quick Win is an improvement in recovery 

(reuse or recycling) for a specific construction waste material, 

applicable on a range of construction projects, which will 

deliver a higher rate of recovery than standard practice without 

increasing costs and preferably with a cost saving. 

and their potential adoption discussed, 

estimating the potential outcome for the 

project waste reduction and recovery targets. 

6.2.1 On site waste segregation 

An important and integral part of on site 

waste management is the segregation of 

the different waste streams as this reduces 

the risk of cross contamination with other 

materials, enabling easier recycling and 

in some cases it increases the value of the 

waste material, enabling it to be sold on. An 

example of this is plastics which, when baled 

can command a price, albeit that it depends 

on the size of the bale. Separate containers 

must be provided and labelled effectively for 

the recovery of different resource streams. 

Subcontractors need to know the rules for 

waste segregation on site. Constructors must 

have systems in place for policing these 

separate containers to eliminate crosscontamination. 

Policing can take two forms: 

1. a designated container security officer, or 

2. a site manager assuming responsibility. 

In order to benefit from on site segregation it 

is important that construction contractors are 

able to capitalise on Waste Recovery Quick 

Wins. Some materials are more suitable to 

Quick Win recovery and as such the following 

provides a brief overview of the criteria 

that should be looked into when identifying 

materials suitable for Quick Win. 

Produced in sufficient quantities to 

make the operating costs of the recovery 

practice economically attractive. 

Easily segregated on site. 

Significantly higher in value as a 

segregated waste compared to 

mixed waste. 

Produced in a locality where 

reprocessing options for those 

materials are readily available. 

In practical terms, the quick wins on a project 

will be identified through discussion between 

constructors and their construction supply 

chain (including local waste management 

contractors) to determine the economics and 

practicalities of recovery. This will depend 

on holistic site-specific parameters such as 

availability of reprocessing facilities, transport 

distances, quantities of materials and capacity 

for on/off site waste segregation. 

Waste recovery Quick Wins by project phase 

Quick Wins will be dependent on the scope 

of works of the project and the stage at 

which the project is at but the following are 

examples of materials recovery opportunities 

that may exist during a typical construction or 

refurbishment project in all types of sectors 

covered by construction companies. 

Site clearance, preparations and 

underground services (e.g. demolition, 

remediation, bulk earthworks, utilities 

and foundations). 

Construction Phase - Structural phase 

(e.g. frame, walls, roofs, floors, cladding). 

- Internal phase (e.g. internal walls, 

plastering and Mechanical & 

Electrical plant). 

Fit out (e.g. doors, suspended ceilings, 

bathroom suites & tiling, carpets & 

flooring, electrics, packaging). 

For standard, good & best practice 

performance benchmarks refer to 

WRAP’s Achieving Good Practice Waste 

Minimisation and Management guide. 

Further resources for identifying Quick 

Wins with minimum effort are available at 


6.2.2 Use of other waste containers as 

opposed to skips, e.g. bags 

Some waste management contractors supply 

alternative, more flexible waste containers to 

skips, such as bags that can be transported 

around site on pallet trucks. This is a very 

effective form of waste management as 

segregation can occur on any level of a build 

and the bags can be moved around site on 

a pallet truck rather than having to rely on 

a crane in order to move a skip around the 

site. The bags allow segregation facilities to 

be adapted to the site situation. The figures 

below show the two different sizes of bags 

available for use on site. 

However, it must be pointed out that the 

benefits of using bags above other waste 

containers can vary depending on the 

site situation and whether there are site 

constraints. The use of waste disposal bags 

works well on the following sites: 

Space constrained sites – When not in use 

and unlike skips, the bags can be folded 

away. They also take up less room than a 

skip. However, other containers such as 

colour coded wheelie bins could be utilised 

in the same way. 

Sites with high level construction works 

– The bags are versatile and can be 

used on any level of a build and easily 

transported around. 

Sites with limited access – On some sites 

it is impossible for the waste management 

truck to gain access which hinders the 

delivery and pick up of skips. The waste 

bags can be transported around on a pallet 

truck, cancelling out this access problem.


6.2.3 Use of clear plastic bags 

The use of clear plastic bags as opposed 

to the more usual black bin bags can be 

an instant win in reduction of waste sent 

to landfill. The waste is tipped out of the 

collection container when it reaches the 

transfer site. If the waste contractor spots 

a clear bag then it is taken aside and the 

contents of the bag are segregated regardless 

of the type of site it has arrived from. Opaque 

black bags are generally not opened and put 

straight onto the landfill pile. It must be noted 

that not all waste management contractors 

do this and so it must be something that is 

checked before being implemented on site 

and it could be something that is agreed with 

the site waste management contractor before 

they are hired. 

6.2.4 Use of balers 

Space saving methods of segregation such 

as balers and shredders or chippers can 

be used on site for compressing materials 

like cardboard and plastics. This provides 

the advantage of more compact cleaner 

segregation, meaning waste containers can 

be either avoided or leave site densely filled. 

The criteria for a baler providing an advantage 

would be: 

on a site with little storage space as balers 

would allow waste to be stored neatly and 

compactly in bales: and 

on a project where there was a high 

proportion of bale-able waste such as 

cardboard and plastics which could then 

be sold. The most likely phase for this 

would be in fit-out. 

6.2.5 Establishment of a waste 

management zone 

The decision to have a waste management 

zone and its location should be done as 

part of the establishment of the site’s waste 

management plan. It is important to have the 

waste management contractor involved at 

this stage so that the logistical implications 

are considered and dealt with before the site 

goes live. The waste management contractor 

must liaise with the project manager to 

ensure appropriate provision of space for the 

location of resource recovery skips. On sites 

with space restrictions, contractors should 

consider the use of a consolidation centre to 

manage waste; this could be situated either 

on the periphery or external to the site. 

6.2.6 Regular waste pick-ups 

Regular waste pick-ups from site are 

essential for effective on site waste 

management. Empty containers encourage 

proper resource segregation. For example, if 

the wood recycling container is overflowing, 

a subcontractor will naturally revert to using 

the nearest convenient container irrespective 

of what it contains. This again highlights the 

importance for effective, on site 

waste management. 

6.2.7 Ensure the reuse or recycling of 

on site equipment 

Commonly, hoarding and formwork made 

from virgin materials are used once on site 

and then sent for disposal upon completion 

of the project. Recycled or re-usable 

hoardings and formwork for concrete 

shuttering could be used in future. Not only 

will this save money in waste disposal, but 

also in purchasing new materials for each 

job. Potentially the removal, storage and 

distribution of re-usable equipment can be 

facilitated through a consolidation centre 

or framework logistics partner. In order to 

minimise the logistics cost of managing 

these resources within a single organisation, 

re-usable materials should be pooled for 

better use throughout the company. Another 

consideration might be to strike collaborative 

framework agreements with other 

construction companies to share pooled 

site equipment like hoardings, offices and 

storage containers. 

6.2.8 Post construction site clearance 

There are a number of opportunities similar 

to those described in previous sections that 

could be adopted to ensure that redundant 

waste materials and equipment left over on 

site are reused or recycled elsewhere. As 

described earlier, symbiotic partners could 

make use of the materials and equipment that 

would otherwise be disposed of. 

After the construction phase has finished 

and before the site clearance process 

is undertaken, it is essential that a site 

clearance waste audit is conducted, just as 

it is at the design and planning stage. The 

obvious aim of doing this is to identify all 

material and equipment that has the potential 

to be recovered, reused or re-sold. Site 

clearance waste arisings must be monitored 

and recorded in order to see the waste 

costs accumulating from this stage of the 

build process. 

Waste management contractors are likely 

to have their own local expertise as to where 

the material can be used or recycled, but 

the following websites may be used to identify 

potential outlets for reusable materials, 

see Table 7. 

The National Industrial Symbiosis 

Programme (NISP) 8 is also a useful source 

for finding companies in the locality who are 

able to use the waste materials produced 

on site. A working partnership between 

contractors, waste management contractors 

and NISP could prove advantageous in the 

quest for waste minimisation on construction 

projects. WRAP’s Efficient Use of materials 

in Regeneration guide can also provide 

additional information on how waste 

resources can be re-incorporated 

into projects. 

BREMAP – Provides lists and 

maps of waste management 

facilities based on location. 

Construction Recycling sites 

- A database of constructionrelated 

recycling sites in 

Great Britain that accept of 

sell materials. 

SALVO – Information on the 

reclamation sector, including 

materials and products arising 

from refurbishment/demolition 

and a materials information 

exchange. 

A free materials/equipment 

exchange site for swapping 

items within the locality. 

Table 7: Materials exchange websites 


http://www.bremap.co.uk 

http://www.ciria.org/recycling 

http://www.salvo.co.uk 

http://www.freecycle.org 

Develop a materials handling strategy as part of the logistics 

plan for material transport and storage on site. 

The design team must discuss with the site team the 

benefits and drawbacks of using composite materials in 

terms of minimising off cut waste versus difficulty in 

waste segregation. 

Consider the Quick Win opportunities and potential site 

constraints and the appropriate segregation of 

waste streams. 

The site team should be responsible for ensuring that as 

much waste as possible is segregated on site. 

Liaise with waste management contractor to discuss and 

put in place the best container option for segregating waste 

types and the collection of waste. 

Identify opportunities where the use of a baling machine and 

shredder would be beneficial. This will facilitate segregation 

of materials as the different types are baled together. 

Liaise with waste management contractor to ensure 

segregated waste will be recycled and that general waste 

will be segregated at transfer station. 

A site clearance audit should take place to determine 

redundant equipment at the end of a job. 

8. http://www.nisp.org.uk/


6.3 Site labour 

Site operatives must be conversed and in 

agreement to deliver on the SWMP and meet 

targets for waste reduction and recovery 

on site. 

6.3.1 Education 

Most demolition companies appreciate the 

value of their waste as it is a revenue stream, 

and are therefore keen to recover it. Other 

suppliers and contractors who do not have 

this attitude to waste should be educated 

in the opportunities and benefits of waste 

reduction. This could mean provision of on 

site education tools and committing to a 

trained environmental resource on site to 

attend to any waste issues. 

Using educational tools like frequent 

and dedicated waste management and 

minimisation toolbox talks ensure that the 

message is driven home. These talks must 

be backed up the use of information signs 

which not only facilitates constant visual 

learning but would allow on site management 

staff to cross any language divide that is 

increasingly becoming a pressing issue on UK 

construction sites and may have an impact 

on site waste management. Examples of 

waste management iconography and colour 

coding currently used by local councils and 

authorities are provided in the figure below. 

Individual construction companies could 

adopt a similar simplistic approach on 

their sites. 

Constructors could also take a pro-active 

approach to assessing the attitudes 

of potential subcontractors to waste 

management before appointing them 

by incorporating supplier selection 

questionnaires into the tender process. 

6.3.2 Incentive and reward systems 

It is important to incentive any new initiative 

and constructors might consider a reward 

system to encourage your subcontractors/ 

suppliers to actively participate in on site 

waste management and minimisation. 

The first step in doing this is to effectively 

monitor, collect, report, and review waste 

data quantitatively. Key Performance 

Indicators (KPI’s) should be established and 

reported upon. Data needs to be recorded for 

performance modelling and improvement 

goal setting. Waste Management contractors 

should measure waste on a site by site basis. 

This process is an extension of the Duty 

of Care obligations and the transfer note 

system. There is no reason why transfer notes 

can not contain detailed, site specific data 

on quantities and weightings of site-specific 

waste streams. With efficient waste data 

feedback mechanisms in place, performance 

and more importantly improvements can be 

publicised to all stakeholders in the initiative. 

Any monitoring system should be combined 

with a reward system for good performance. 

This could come in various forms, for 

example, social events, prizes or plain cash 

rewards. At a site level an example incentive 

could simply be a round of drinks at the end 

of the week. At an organisational level best in 

class subcontractors could be rewarded with 

preferred status. This reward system does not 

have to be exclusive to on site subcontractors 

but could also form part of the agreement 

with the waste management contractor in 

order to maximise the efficiency of 

their operations. 

Conversely a penalty scheme could 

also be used to improve the practices of 

subcontractors. However, such a scheme 

should be carefully packaged and written 

into contracts as it could be seen by some 

as another hurdle to overcome and create 

a negativity and resistance amongst on 

site workers to the waste minimisation and 

management initiative. 

6.3.3 Develop closer relationships 

with subcontractors 

Closer relationships will lead to an enhanced 

process of communication which in turn 

will provide on site benefits, particularly 

when implementing an initiative like waste 

minimisation as the more involved people 

are the more buy-in and ownership they 

have. This can be essential with major 

subcontractors and suppliers as these firms 

are likely to be key waste producers and their 

support of a waste minimisation initiative 

is crucial to its success. Rewarding good 

performance can be a way of facilitating the 

development of closer relationships. 


Education of employees in waste minimisation is key. 

Use educational tools like on site information signs. 

Provide bonus incentives for contributing to 

waste minimisation. 

Build relationships with subcontractors.


7 Communicating the change 

Implementation of policies at high level, 

whilst essential, is not the only driver 

of change. There are many stages of 

implementation involved in the process. All 

throughout the organisation, people have to 

make a commitment to change. Central to 

ensuring this commitment is communication 

of the benefits and opportunities good 

practise WMM presents. 

Reducing and managing waste is not a 

difficult challenge on most projects – what 

is more challenging is that to achieve 

reductions project teams need to think about 

waste differently. Waste needs to be raised 

up the agenda so when decisions are being 

made, the impact upon waste is considered 

and appropriate action is taken. All team 

members need to understand and share a 

common goal – that of waste minimisation 

and management. Only by working together 

will this be possible. 

There are some simple steps that the 

project team can take to ensure that waste 

is elevated up the agenda and is addressed 

robustly. One such solution involves simply 

adding a waste item to team meetings. If 

waste is discussed as part of the general 

project development (whether during design, 

procurement, or in site meetings), then it 

cannot be ignored. As an agenda point at each 

meeting it would ensure that it stays within 

the core scope of the project, and does not 

become a ‘sustainability bolt-on’. Additional 

opportunities are outlined in the 

boxes following. 

Opportunity 

Partnering 

Incentives 

Support 

Language barriers 

Waste workshops 

Champions 

Worker involvement 

Sub-contract to 

those who are 

more receptive 

Audits 

Remove the “Blame 

Culture” 

Description 

Another aspect is partnering across the design and construction team. Contractors and 

subcontractors have first hand knowledge of what causes waste and how this could 

be reduced. Sharing this information with designers is essential. In addition, thinking 

about logistical and procurement issues early on ensures that decisions are not made 

which later compromise waste reduction initiatives. A key part of this is therefore early 

contractor involvement so that they may contribute to early waste identification and 

decision making. 

Incentives and rewards for good practice can be a good way of bringing employees on 

board with the waste minimisation initiative. It can help to disseminate information and 

focus people on the task in hand. In particular it is likely that the language barriers can 

also be broken down through offering incentives. 

Provide workers with support and determine the causes for tasks that continually 

require assistance and take corrective action. This would require good relationships 

between construction companies and their subcontractors and practical guidance and 

tools. 

In the UK there is a large proportion of foreign labour operating in the construction 

sector, particularly from Eastern European countries that have recently joined the 

EU. This has implications for communicating a new initiative. It is all very well to give 

toolbox talks on waste minimisation but if the subcontractors do not speak English, the 

message may not be received. In light of this, it is essential for visual communications 

that convey the message or for translations to ensure messages are clearly understood. 

One specific solution that could be used is to hold discreet waste workshops. These 

would be an effective method of sharing ideas in an open and neutral forum. Again, 

giving waste such a platform and encouraging participation is likely to generate useful 

ideas. It also reinforces the message that waste is not just an issue for contractors, but 

for everyone. 

This is partially linked in with providing support to those on site. The ideal situation 

would not be to facilitate the change from bottom-up or top-down but instead from the 

middle outwards. Enhance the waste minimisation attitudes of the project managers 

as they will be the main instigators of the drive, providing the link between senior 

management and the subcontractors. Therefore the more orientated they are towards 

minimising waste the more likely the initiative will succeed. Champions should be 

placed at all levels of the company including on site. 

The greater the involvement of the workforce in implementing changes, the more 

control they have over their work and this reduces the stress of the change. 

The selection of subcontractors or site workers can be important when trying to instil a 

new culture. Make waste minimisation credentials an essential selection criterion and 

in that way the resistance to implementing a waste minimisation drive will be 

significantly reduced. 

Random audits of skips and other segregation containers should be carried out on 

a regular basis to assess and monitor whether segregation is occurring or whether 

subcontractors are co-operating. This can then be dealt with to find out where the 

problems lie. 

The sensitivity of workers to negative feedback over activities that have not been 

productive needs to be recognised. Supervisors must be trained to perform ‘no fault’, 

‘no blame’ reviews of defects. The implementation of new initiatives such as waste 

minimisation requires the workforce to be vigilant in spotting things that are going 

wrong in order that they might be reversed. However, if a blame culture is prevalent 

then the workforce will be unwilling to pick up on mistakes in fear of being punished.


8 Managing change – action plan 

Actions can be taken at both a high strategic 

level and at a site level within construction 

companies to ensure that any effective change 

management take place. As can be seen by 

these recommended actions there are both 

management routes setting out ways to 

overcome resistance barriers, for example 

through policy setting and strategy creation, 

and there are physical controls which are 

implemented such as incentive schemes and 

feedback sessions to control the resistance. 

Applying one of these without the other will 

not have the desired effect in breaking down 

opposition to the waste initiative and it is 

important that they are adopted into company 

practices jointly if waste minimisation and 

management resistance is to be overcome. 

Priority Recommended action Plan to achieve action 

Incentives 

Provide suitable support 

structure within your 

company and place 

champions at all levels 

of the company 

High Priority 

Medium Priority 

Low Priority 

High level strategic actions 

1) Give site managers the authority 

to hand out rewards for good on 

site performance. 

2) Set out what rewards site 

managers can give out to good 

performers. 

3) Advertise the incentive scheme 

through the on site team and 

internal publications. 

It is important that poor 

performance is not penalised 

directly as this will instil a “blame 

culture” which is detrimental to the 

waste initiative. 

1) Create an organisational support 

structure within the company 

including allocating a person or 

persons (the champion) at each 

level of the company with the 

responsibility for ensuring waste 

management and minimisation 

issues are brought to the fore. 

2) Provide the support structure with 

the relevant training required for 

them to be effective in providing 

this support by seeking external 

courses or by providing internal 

courses. 

Site level actions 

This is linked into a corporate 

decision to initiate a scheme. The 

on site team will be responsible 

for monitoring and rewarding the 

necessary people. 

1) In advance of the project going to 

site, allocate a waste champion 

on site who will act as the focal 

point for waste management and 

minimisation issues. 

2) Provide the champion with 

training in this area prior to the 

commencement of the project. 

3) Draw up a clear remit of the 

champion’s responsibilities on 

site. 

4) Ensure that the champion is 

supported at all times. 

Priority Recommended action Plan to achieve action 

Remove the “blame” 

culture within your 

organisation 

Involve the workforce 

in contributing to site 

waste management and 

minimisation 

Sub-contract to those 

who are more receptive to 

waste minimisation drive 

Perform random site 

waste audits 

Highlight Senior 

Management 

commitment to initiative 

Use Pictorial Waste 

Management Signs 

High level strategic actions 

1) Set a policy and ethos of 

continuous improvement. 

2) Make provision for supervisor 

training to instil a no blame 

technique. 

1) Set selection criteria for subcontractor. 

2) Include a questionnaire into the 

tender stage. 

3) Measure the sub-contractor 

against the KPIs. 

Involve the procurement, 

environmental department 

and selected site managers in 

developing these KPIs. 

This must be initiated and facilitated 

by the Environmental team and 

Senior Management. 

1) Identify responsible people 

external to the site (but internal to 

the organisation). 

2) Train them in site waste auditing. 

3) Ensure that the site team are 

aware of what the audits are 

looking for. 

4) Set them the task of randomly 

appearing on site to perform an 

internal audit. This should include 

auditing the waste monitoring and 

measuring processes in place. 

5) Set improvement targets for 

poorly performing sites. 

Ensure that an article appears in 

every issue of the site newsletter 

which communicates the corporate 

commitment to the waste 

minimisation initiative. 

Site level actions 

1) In the event of poor performance, 

identify a positive way forward 

with sub-contractors. 

2) Do not cast blame as this will 

work against getting the subcontractors 

or other site staff on 

board the waste minimisation 

initiative. 

Arrange weekly feedback sessions 

where on site workers can 

contribute their thoughts or raise 

any waste issues. 

1) Make sure the sub-contractors 

are aware of the audits and 

explain what the auditors will be 

looking for. 

Distribute newsletter used to 

communicate Senior Management 

commitment and views to the site 

workers. 

1) Liaise with Graphics/Marketing 

Department to arrange simple 

but effective pictorial waste 

management signs. 

2) Display in suitable areas on site.


9 Planning the change – check lists 

The following checklists can be used 

as structured reminders of the waste 

minimisation and management options 

identified in this guidance document to 

consider on your project. They should not 

be taken as an end all to implementing 

good practice WMM but as lists that can 

be amended and updated as suitable with 

your project. They also provide a visual audit 

trail, can be reviewed so that construction 

contractors can learn from any mistakes they 

might have made during the project through 

poor decisions or actions and thus rectify 

the situation on future sites. In addition, 

there is no reason why they can’t be used as 

supplementary to the SWMP documentation. 

Demolition 

Subject Questions to consider Tick if 

‘Yes’ 

Ensuring 

requirements 

for the recovery 

and reuse of 

demolition 

material are set 

Demolition Audit 

Set KPIs 

Comment: If ‘Yes’, what 

action have you taken / 

do you propose to take 

If ‘no’, why not 

Focus on: setting requirements for a pre-demolition audit and KPIs to encourage resource 

efficiency in regeneration projects (i.e. demolition and new build). 

Think about: specific wording that can be included in contract documentation to ensure 

requirements are clearly communicated and dialogue between the demolition contractor and 

design team. 

Has WRAP good practice guidance, ‘The efficient use of 

materials in regeneration’ been utilised 

Has the demolition contractor been chosen prior to 

project design 

Are the demolition contractor, design team and main 

contractor aware of what is required of them 

Do they have proof of delivering materials efficiency 

on past projects 

Focus on: identifying and prioritising the largest demolition waste streams and the potential to 

recover and reuse material in the new build. 

Think about: how this information can be incorporated in the new build design process and the 

associated costs savings in doing so. 

Has the pre-demolition audit taken place during the 

pre-design stage 

Does a Build Bill of Quantities (BBQ) outline the different 

materials to be demolished, the tonnage of material to be 

recovered and the percentage of materials recoverable 

If so, are opportunities to reuse materials on site in the new 

build being considered by the design team and contractor 

Are there opportunities to utilise these materials in 

alterative sites 

Are these opportunities being recorded in the SWMP 

Focus on: setting key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to the project at hand. 

Think about: what target levels of recovery and reuse are realistic and achievable. 

Is there data available on previous wastage, recovery and 

reuse rates 

Have target rates for recovery and reuse been set at the 

project outset 

Has the Demolition Recovery Index (DRI) been calculated 

Has the Retained Material (RM) KPI been calculated


Design & Planning 


‘Yes’ 

Design Waste 

Management Plan 

Build waste 

minimisation into 

design process 

Plan to 

eliminate waste 





Focus on: identifying and prioritising the largest waste producers and potential actions to 

reduce them. 

Think about: how wastes and mitigating action are to be reviewed at each of the 3 main design 

stages; what information is readily available about material availability and recycling; what 

previous data is available for know types of construction; what opportunities there are to 

engage the supply chain. 

Has the designer signed up to the SWMP 

Has the design team been briefed on the SWMP 

Does the design team have waste information from similar 

projects (e.g. waste figures) 

Is there an individual responsible for waste during design 

Focus on: encouraging designers to think more sustainably and to look at alternative methods 

of construction, particularly prefabrication of components and designing with standard 

materials and component dimensions in mind to reduce waste through off-cuts. 

Think about: how this can be incorporated into the designer process. Also consider concepts 

such as Design for Manufacture, Design for Assembly, Design for future use and end-of-life. 

Has the consideration of MMC and OSM been included in the 

design tender 

Are appropriate KPIs in place by which to assess the design 

teams and to ensure the correct one is chosen 

Has the design team appropriately demonstrated their 

experience in designing for off site fabrication 

Has there been a review of the design to identify further 

opportunities of MMC and OSM where possible 

Where necessary, has the future use of the building been 

considered in the design 

Does the design take into account how easy it will be to 

manufacture and is it well suited to off site fabrication 

Does the design use sustainable materials and incorporate 

recycled content where possible 

Does the design incorporate standard materials and 

component dimensions 

Is the design sufficiently developed to quantify materials 

required and their waste streams 

Focus on: pre-project auditing and bringing the waste contractor into the equation before the 

project reaches site . 

Think about: which materials can be reused, recycled and potential symbiotic partners in the 

locality. 

Has the waste contractor been chosen prior to the project 

going to site 

Has the waste contractor carried out a waste audit before 

any demolition/strip out phase 

Have materials been identified which can be re-used or 

recycled 

Can any of the reclaimed materials be used on site or by 

another part of the company 

Has there been any investigation into potential symbiotic 

partners who will be able to use the waste materials 

Has provision been made for a regular review of the 

waste situation on site to identify further opportunities for 

minimisation at a later date 

Procurement 


‘Yes’ 

General 

Procurement 

Policy 

Materials 

supply only 

Sub-contractor 

procurement 





Focus on: setting out company procurement policy that integrates waste as a key area. Also 

setting up supplier frameworks based on relevant criteria and KPIs. 

Think about: relevant KPIs and criteria that might be incorporated into procurement of both 

materials and works packages. 

Do you have a procurement policy which integrates 

waste minimisation and sets out the corporate stance on 

issues like packaging and KPIs that must be met by subcontractors 

and suppliers before they can be hired 

Focus on: understanding alternative product availability for major waste producing materials, 

including realistic waste allowances and waste recyclability. 

Think about: dimensional flexibility; sizes made to fit; factory finished components; recycled 

content; handling, protection and packaging. 

Have KPIs been set for the recycled content of the works 

Is the recycled content of the material known 

Are materials available in dimensions which will minimise 

site waste through off-cuts/surplus 

Can waste streams be re-used or recycled 

Is packaging needed 

If packaging is required, is it re-usable 

Are materials available in dimensions which will minimise 

site waste through off-cuts/surplus 

Can waste arising from materials through off-cuts/surplus 

be recycled 

Can excess materials be reduced and eliminated in future 

through improved Quantity Surveying 

Is there a feedback mechanism to inform the procurement 

department of actual volumes of materials used to ensure 

waste is minimised next time 

Focus on procuring subcontractors who will use materials efficiently and effectively; who 

will adhere to the SWMP and are prepared to obtain and work with specified materials where 

major waste streams are anticipated, and will offer realistic waste allowances. 

Think about: how to communicate waste management requirements and how to involve the 

sub-contractors constructively. 

Have relevant KPIs and criteria been set to select the most 

appropriate sub-contractors 

Have the sub-contractors, in particular the waste 

contractors, been involved in the SWMP 

Are incentives for good performance in place to encourage 

sub-contractors to pay heed to minimising waste 

Are there opportunities for on site forums to air good ideas 

and facilitate feedback 

Will the waste contractor be providing regular 

waste reports 

Has any mix of nationalities within the team been 

considered and catered for in terms of getting the waste 

management method across


Logistics 


‘Yes’ 

Logistics Plan 

Materials storage 

Excess materials 

Waste pick-ups 





Focus on: developing and implementing a logistics plan based on the WRAP template. 

Think about: what is common practice How can this be improved through the use of a 

consolidation centre, just-in-time delivery, etc 

Has a logistics plan been developed 

Has the logistics plan been communicated to relevant 

project stakeholders 

Is responsibility allocated for the logistics plan 

Focus on: whether a consolidation centre would be beneficial to the project and whether it 

would be cost effective. Also focus on optimising deliveries to site to reduce on site storage. 

Think about: Whether the site is able to accommodate constant deliveries and has the space 

to store materials on site. Also think about the proportion of damage to materials through 

on site storage. 

Does the site have enough space to store materials and 

equipment 

Does on site storage create a Health & Safety hazard 

Are there adequate storage conditions for the various 

materials (such as dry conditions for plasterboard) 

Is the storage secure so as to prevent waste through 

damage 

Has the proportion of damage caused by on site storage 

been recorded and documented 

Are there constraints on deliveries to site 

Is a delivery initiative applied such as “Just In Time” 

Has a consolidation centre been considered 

Would a consolidation centre be effective both economically 

and logistically 

Focus on: return logistics, buy-back and take-back schemes and building relationships 

with suppliers . 

Think about: the types of materials and wastes that could be returned to suppliers and how the 

material can be kept in a good condition. 

Can excess material be used elsewhere on site or on a 

different site 

Will suppliers or sub-contractors take back or buy-back 

excess materials 

Are suppliers or sub-contractors obliged to take back 

excess packaging 

Where re-use on site is not appropriate, have alternative 

destinations for excess materials been considered 

Focus on: ensuring that waste containers are emptied regularly. Empty containers will 

encourage segregation. 

Think about: what needs to be done to facilitate this. 

Has a waste management zone been established on site 

Has a waste handling plan been created 

Are waste containers overflowing 

Are waste containers accessible 

Site Operations 


‘Yes’ 

Segregation of 

waste on site 

Site Waste 

Management 

Plan (SWMP) 

Materials arising 

from demolition, 

strip-out and site 

clearance 





Focus on: being able to segregate on site if possible or if not then ensure that a good waste 

contractor is hired who will segregate mixed skips. 

Think about: constraints on site which make this difficult, including the use of foreign labour, 

and how they can be overcome. 

Has a waste management zone been established on site 

Does the site have any constraints which make on site 

segregation difficult 

Are you providing separate waste containers for segregation 

of waste materials on site 

Has a colour-coded scheme been considered for the site to 

make segregation easier 

Is any signage provided in pictorial or iconographic form to 

bridge any on site language divide 

Does the site induction or site toolbox talks cover on site 

segregation and are all site workers made aware of it 

Are clear plastic bags, rather than opaque black bags used 

for general waste 

Has the use of equipment such as balers been considered 

as a means of overcoming any spatial constraints and a way 

of maximising waste container space 

Where the site is space constrained are alternative waste 

containers such as bags considered 

Focus on: preparing a SWMP that is site specific and sets out actions that must be taken in the 

event of waste. 

Think about: involving the waste contractor to obtain their input. Also think about how the 

SWMP will be communicated to on site labour . 

Has your waste contractor been brought in to assess your 

SWMP and to provide constructive input 

Is the SWMP tailored to the individual site to account 

for anomalies which may have an impact on waste 

management and minimisation 

Does the SWMP include a plan for all phases of the build, 

from site pre-lims through to site clearance 

As a minimum does the SWMP meet DTI SWMP standards 

Does the SWMP assign responsibilities for various areas of 

on site waste management and minimization 

Has everyone on site signed there adherence and agreement 

to the SWMP 

Focus on: identification of waste streams and potential end uses for the materials. 

Think about: whether the materials can be used on site and also whether there are companies 

in the locality that could make use of them. 

Are waste audits carried out before commencement of each 

stage to identify potential waste streams 

Have symbiotic partners been identified early on for wastes 

that cannot be re-used on site 

Have responsibilities been allocated for recovery of 

the materials

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Waste & Resources 

Action Programme 

The Old Academy 

21 Horse Fair 

Banbury, Oxon 

OX16 0AH 

Tel: 01295 819 900 

Fax: 01295 819 911 

Email: info@wrap.org.uk 

Helpline: 

0808 100 2040 


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