Minimising Waste

Consideration of construction waste should be given at the early stages of a project. With conversion and alteration work there in unlikely to be any significant volume of excavation material but for new build and extension sites where it is necessary to demolish a redundant structure then more material is generated.

Construction waste

Sending waste to landfill sites is undesirable for a number of environmental and economic reasons. A far more sustainable response is for design for the use of recycled materials, and to put in place provisions for construction waste to be incorporated in the new development. A number of options can be considered:

• Minimise volume of excavation through consideration of building footprint and appropriate foundations;
• Consider use of crushed demolition material in the hardcore for the building;
• Consider separation, storage and re-use of the following components:
  • turf rolled;
  • topsoil reused;
  • seeds kept from existing plants;
  • compost from existing plant matter;
• Separation of waste streams that could be sold or used again elsewhere;
• Reuse of spare materials on site – offcuts for shops, etc; and
• Delivering programmes to reduce length of storage time on site with risk of damage and subsequent disposal as waste.

Supply of Materials

Arrangements with suppliers can result in a reduced environmental impact through improved efficiency and a reduction in waste to landfill. The following criteria could be considered:

• delivery of building materials:
• allow for inspection of materials;
  • reject / return defective materials;
  • return protective packaging;
  • agreement with plasterboard manufacturer that waste will be collected and re-used;
  • consider timing of delivery to avoid storing materials on site, and reducing the risk of damage and waste;
• use of multi-use palettes, preferably in recycled plastic, for protection and storage of materials, to reduce damage and waste; and
• use of existing markets for refurbishment waste to reuse unwanted materials, including windows, timber, bathroom suites and kitchens.

Sustainably managed sources should also be used wherever possible. In terms of timber, for example, the FSC or PEFC logo will ensure that the forests are managed responsibly.

Systems which have been developed to use a reduced volume of materials, such as timber I-beams rather than sold beams, should be considered.

Reclaimed Materials

The use of reclaimed materials will result in a significant reduction in the embodied energy of the project. This involves minimal processing between demolition of the original building and construction of the new building, as opposed to recycling. If a building has been detailed in such a way that it can be dismantled and the components reclaimed and recycled or re-used at the end of its lifespan, then this will have a positive effect on the embodied energy of both the original and future buildings. This will also reduce the volume of construction and demolition waste sent to landfill.

Where new materials are being specified, consider the possibility for inclusion of recycled elements, for example, recycled cellulose insulation.