0 <strong>Responding</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>waste</strong> <strong>minimisation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>management</strong> requirements <strong>Responding</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>waste</strong> <strong>minimisation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>management</strong> requirements 0 Good practice WMM guidance as well as a variety of information covering all aspects of materials used in construction, including case studies, reference guides <strong>and</strong> information on managing specific <strong>waste</strong> streams, can be found at WRAP’s construction portal, www.wrap.org.uk/construction Key benefits Increasing numbers of construction clients, developers, design teams <strong>and</strong> contrac<strong>to</strong>rs are looking <strong>to</strong> reduce <strong>waste</strong> on their projects. The benefits in doing this include the ability <strong>to</strong>: reduce material <strong>and</strong> disposal costs through a reduction in the materials ordered <strong>and</strong> <strong>waste</strong> taken <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill; increase competitive advantage through differentiation; lower CO 2 emissions; meet planning requirements; complement other aspects of sustainable design; <strong>and</strong> respond <strong>to</strong> <strong>and</strong> pre-empt changes in public policy, such as increases in L<strong>and</strong>fill Tax. Good practice Waste Minimisation <strong>and</strong> Management Good practice WMM should follow the principles of the <strong>waste</strong> hierarchy: reduce the quantity of the <strong>waste</strong> generated, <strong>and</strong> then maximise the amount that can be reused or recycled. Good practice WMM is going beyond st<strong>and</strong>ard practice <strong>to</strong> realise benefits that can be achieved on many projects without a fundamental change in working practice <strong>and</strong> will in most cases generate cost savings. Waste <strong>minimisation</strong> involves a range of straightforward methods <strong>to</strong> ‘design-out’ <strong>waste</strong> from a project <strong>and</strong> limit <strong>waste</strong> arising during the construction phase. Waste <strong>management</strong> then involves identifying potential <strong>waste</strong> streams, setting target recovery rates <strong>and</strong> managing the process <strong>to</strong> ensure that these targets are met. Using a Site Waste Management Plan Good practice WMM techniques <strong>and</strong> processes, for example using Modern Methods of Construction <strong>and</strong> identifying a site <strong>waste</strong> champion should be implemented through a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP). A SWMP is not just a <strong>to</strong>ol for managing <strong>waste</strong> on site. It should also be used as a <strong>to</strong>ol during earlier project phases <strong>to</strong> inform the development of the design by identifying potential <strong>waste</strong> streams <strong>to</strong> minimise <strong>and</strong> targeting appropriate rates of recovery. Planning <strong>and</strong> developing the SWMP before construction begins will greatly help realise the benefits of good practice WMM. Roles <strong>and</strong> responsibilities The contrac<strong>to</strong>r has a key role <strong>to</strong> play in developing the SWMP, identifying opportunities <strong>to</strong> minimise <strong>and</strong> manage <strong>waste</strong> <strong>and</strong> implementing good practice WMM. To fully benefit from good practice WMM on a project, there should however, be a team effort <strong>and</strong> the contrac<strong>to</strong>r should work with other project stakeholders <strong>to</strong> adopt the principles of good practice at the earliest possible stage. Good practice WMM should preferably be m<strong>and</strong>ated by the client through procurement requirements <strong>and</strong> then communicated <strong>and</strong> implemented by the design team, contrac<strong>to</strong>r, subcontrac<strong>to</strong>rs, <strong>and</strong> <strong>waste</strong> <strong>management</strong> contrac<strong>to</strong>rs through all project phases – from outline design <strong>to</strong> 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 <strong>to</strong>nnes of material per annum. It generates more than one-third of the UK’s <strong>waste</strong> arisings, of which only half is reused or recycled (primarily aggregates <strong>and</strong> metals). Over 60 million <strong>to</strong>nnes of construction sec<strong>to</strong>r <strong>waste</strong> is sent <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill or similar disposal sites every year. More efficient use of materials would make a major contribution <strong>to</strong> reducing the environmental impacts of construction including reducing dem<strong>and</strong> for l<strong>and</strong>fill <strong>and</strong> the depletion of finite natural resources. This would also contribute <strong>to</strong> the economic efficiency of the sec<strong>to</strong>r <strong>and</strong> of the UK as a whole. Major improvements in materials efficiency are possible, without increasing cost, by: minimising the overall creation of <strong>waste</strong> resulting from, for example, over-ordering or inefficient design; reducing the quantity of material sent <strong>to</strong> l<strong>and</strong>fill during the construction process through effective <strong>waste</strong> <strong>management</strong>; recycling material already on the construction site in<strong>to</strong> the new construction project; <strong>and</strong> using more recycled materials <strong>and</strong> mainstream products with higher recycled content, including recycled content (such as glass <strong>and</strong> plastic) not necessarily sourced from construction <strong>and</strong> demolition <strong>waste</strong>. Taking action in each of these areas in the sequential order outlined in Figure 2, would enable construction projects <strong>to</strong> achieve good or best practice <strong>waste</strong> <strong>minimisation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>management</strong> (WMM) <strong>and</strong> overall resource efficiency. Waste Minimisation & Management Materials Recycling Figure 2: Sequence of actions <strong>to</strong> achieve resource efficiency Procurement of Recycled Content Good practice WMM can be applied <strong>to</strong> all forms of construction project, including new build, refurbishment, fit-out <strong>and</strong> infrastructure, regardless of the procurement route adopted.