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

45.0 Demolition Protocol - UK
45.1 Outline of Policy
The Institute of Civil Engineers, with support from the Waste and Resources Action
Programme (WRAP), has developed a Demolition Protocol. It provides a framework for
sustainable resource management within the demolition industry (although
refurbishment is also included as part of the Protocol) which can be implemented
through contractual conditions or the planning system. It provides methodologies for
delivery of resource efficiency through a framework ‘for the assessment and recovery
of demolition material and the potential for specifying recovered (recycled and
reclaimed) material in the new build’. 780
In practise, the Demolition Protocol requires the contractor to undertake a demolition
audit prior to demolition occurring which characterises and identifies quantities of
materials being produced through the demolition process, identifies the potential for
resource recovery, set targets for material recovery and verifies the targets are
reached. A similar process of measurement takes place throughout the new build
phase of the project.
The Protocol is currently not made mandatory through a centralised planning
requirement, and so therefore, in-line with this review, it is not considered a policy.
However, to-date there is one example where it was enforced throughout a project,
and due to the general lack of clear policies implemented within the C&D sector, it
was thought beneficial to draw from this example, albeit on a small-scale.
45.2 Where Has the Policy Been Applied and Why?
The London Borough of Brent Council incorporated the Protocol through their
Supplementary Planning Document on Sustainable Design, Construction and
Pollution Control because it ensured that resource efficiency would be prioritised
throughout development. 781 Implementing the Demolition Protocol was, therefore, a
mandatory requirement of the Wembley Link development project.
45.3 Key Organisations Involved in Implementation and
Management
The key organisation is the planning authority that has the power to mandate this
Protocol within planning regulations and drive forward sustainable construction and
demolition. During the project the principal contractor is responsible for both
780 WRAP (2007) ICE Demolition Protocol Case Study Wembley Link, Accessed 21st October 2008,
http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/WRAP_Case_Study__Wembley_Link_formatted_2_.e66b89c1.46
51.pdf
781 Sonnervera International Corporation (2006) Construction, Renovation and Demolition Waste
Materials: Opportunities for Waste Reduction and Diversion.
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