ESD design guide for Australian Government buildings: Edition 2

esd opportunities in building
OPPORTUNITY 8
minimising waste
Figure 33: waste management in
construction, DEH.
IMPORTANCE OF MINIMISING
WASTE
Waste is a major environmental issue
in the built environment with more
than 40% of landfill resulting from
building-related waste. One of the
major imperatives of sustainable
design is to use the waste hierarchy
of avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle.
That is, do not order it if you do not
need it; plan use so as to optimise
material efficiency (design height for
plasterboard size); put aside cut offs
for later reuse; etc. (see figure 33).
OPTIMISING WASTE
MINIMISATION
Waste minimisation involves a
diligent approach to documentation
and project management in order
to minimise the amount of waste
produced on site during demolition
and construction. It also recognises
the potential of some materials to
be reused or recycled rather than
allowing them to contribute to waste
volumes going to landfill; the focus
being a more efficient use of finite
resources.
The environmental opportunities
of waste management include
the reduction of demolition and
construction waste streams, as well
as those resulting from ongoing
operational waste during the life-cycle
of the building. The key when thinking
about minimising waste is to go
through each decision using the waste
minimisation hierarchy noted above.
Design Stage
The design stage produces very
little waste comparatively. Yet this is
the stage where many of the waste
opportunities can be optimised.
Some strategies are outlined below:
Design for
materials
and design
for standard
sizes
Design for
flexibility
Design of
assembly
and
disassembly
Design using
prefabricated
components
Design for
ease of
recycling
Design ceiling dimensions
to make best use of
materials – for example
if plasterboard comes in
1200mm don’t design
ceiling heights to be
2700mm, since 2400mm
would make better use of
the material and minimise
waste.
Design spaces and
systems that can easily
adapted to changes
in management and
company structures.
More and more systems
are being developed that
allow buildings to be
built in a way that allows
them to be disassembled
and reused. This is not
mainstream in Australia
yet but the trend in Europe
is towards this type of
construction.
Linked to the above,
use systems that can be
prefabricated off site and
then assembled on site
saving waste and time.
Design waste areas
with easy access and
spaces on each floor that
encourage staff to recycle.
Documentation Stage
In preparing the specification and
contracts for a new building or
refurbishment, ensure that there are
requirements for waste minimisation.
Require a waste management plan
with periodic reporting, set minimum
performance targets, ensure an
effective induction programme has
been planned for people working
on site, and negotiate with the
contractors that they minimise overordering.
Construction Stage
Construction and demolition waste
makes up 33% of the landfill space
in Australia. This can be reduced in
many cases by 80-90% through better
waste management procedures. You
can encourage contractors to have
a plan of what waste they expect to
be generated by the project, how
they will divert it from landfill, and
where it will be sent for reuse or
recycling. One method for ensuring
that the contractor has the basic
understanding of waste minimisation
requirements is to ask for ISO 14001
certification. This certification is for
all environmental impact, not just
waste. It provides assurance that the
contractor understands how to carry
out an environmental plan and its
associated waste management plan.
Having an ISO 14001 accreditation
is not enough to ensure performance
though; it just demonstrates they
understand the procedures. It is still
important to have regular reports and
reviews on performance.
Operation Stage
During the life of the building,
waste minimisation is a building
management and tenancy issue.
There is a real opportunity for
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ESD DESIGN GUIDE FOR AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS