International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

approach to waste management, since the elimination of waste removes the need for
subsequent handling, transportation and treatment of discarded material.
Furthermore waste prevention alleviates pressure on limited natural resources.
The management of C&D waste should reflect the waste management hierarchy, with
waste prevention and minimisation being the first priority succeeded by reuse and
recycling. Prevention is financially advantageous as it reduces the purchase of
construction materials and obviates the need to remove wastes from site. By
examining ways of eliminating or reducing waste, the construction industry can
achieve significant improvements in profitability at a time when pressure to hold
down costs has never been greater.
Conscious efforts by players in the construction industry can lead to improved waste
prevention in this area. For instance, certain purchasing procedures can greatly
contribute in the prevention of C&D waste. Examples include:
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� Ensuring materials are ordered on an “as needed” basis to prevent over
supply to site;
� Purchasing coverings, panelling or other materials in shape, dimensions and
form that minimises the creation of excessive scrap waste on site;
� Ensuring correct storage and handling of construction materials to minimise
generation of damaged materials/waste;
� Ensuring correct sequencing of operations;
� Assigning individual responsibility to sub-contractors for the purchase of raw
materials and for the management of wastes arising from their activities,
thereby ensuring that available resources are not expended in an extravagant
manner at the expense of the main contractor;
� Renovation which retains and repairs existing structural and decorative
elements, with the introduction only where necessary of new items, also
contributes greatly to a reduction in C&D waste arisings.
� Material that is generated should be reused on site or salvaged for
subsequent reuse to the greatest extent possible and disposal should only be
considered as a last resort. Excavated spoil/topsoil should be carefully set
aside and used as landscaping material in completed developments.
With the exception of developments where planning conditions impose certain waste
management policies, the above basic principles of waste prevention are largely at
the discretion of construction and demolition contractors, and while some of the
measures outlined present economic benefits, it seems likely that the high demand
for developments in recent years, and associated aggressive construction/demolition
project programmes may have drawn the focus away from such waste prevention
measures.
The boom in the construction industry driven by a high demand for development over
recent years and the associated lucrative prices leveraged by contractors for
construction projects might also have overshadowed any policies in place.
29/09/09