Construction Waste News

ReIY Centres

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

BioRegional, through funding by WRAP, are setting up ReIY Centres which will collect unwanted building materials from construction sites and sell them to the small scale trade and the public. The first ReIY Centres are planned to be open in Spring 2009 for the Wirral, Waltham Forest and Tees Valley. They follow in the footsteps of North America's successful Building Material Reuse Centres where 150 Centres are run as not for profit ventures providing jobs and training in construction for local unemployed and young people.

For more information please go to:http://www.bioregional.co.uk/

Environmental Permitting Review

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Defra recently launched a consultation on Environmental Permitting looking at current waste management exemptions - responses were due on the 23^rd of October 2008. There are many proposed changes to current exemptions and waste management licensing, including having two types of environmental permits (standard and bespoke) and operator technical competence being demonstrated at a company and individual level. Importantly some of the thresholds may change for construction waste exemptions meaning that standard permits may be required in the future.

For more information please go to: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/management/index.htm

Zero Carbon Homes Consultation

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In July 2007, following consultation, the Government's Building A Greener Future: Policy Statement announced that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016. On December 17^th, Government launched a new consultation, inviting views on how to make the 2016 zero carbon new homes target a reality.

The consultation looks at setting a minimum level of carbon reduction that developers must achieve on-site, requiring developers to tackle the remaining carbon emissions of new homes from a list of "allowable solutions", and setting a limit on the amount expected to be spent on these solutions.

To access the consultation document, please see http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/theenvironment/zerocarbonhomes/

Green Building Charter

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Welsh Assembly environment, sustainability and housing minister Jane Davidson has launched a ‘green building charter,’ signed by more than 40 organisations in the Welsh construction sector. Davidson has called it a “coalition of the willing” for those in the industry who want Wales to reduce its carbon footprint. The charter is a joint initiative between the Welsh Assembly Government, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) and the Design Commission for Wales.

For further information, see the Welsh government news.

WRAP Agreement with Construction Industry

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is launching a new scheme which will allow members of the construction industry to sign up to an agreement to halve the amount of waste they send to landfill.

The agreement will work in much the same way as WRAP's Courtauld Commitment with the retail sector.

WRAP has developed an online tool, known as the Net Waste Tool, which will help construction firms to calculate the amount of waste that will come from projects, and how they can reduce it.

Head of construction at WRAP, Dr Mike Watson, said whilst speaking at the RWM conference, that for construction waste to be reduced, three areas will be key.

Firstly, clients should be aware of the problem and make waste minimisation and recycling part of their procurement requirements, he told delegates.

Project teams must also plan how to reduce waste and how to recycle or reuse what is produced at the design stage.

Finally, construction and waste contractors should work together to deal with the problem - an idea that would bring increasing opportunities for the waste industry, Dr Watson said.

Builders offered SWMP advice

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) came into force in England on April 6.

It is now a legal requirement for firms undertaking development work to draw up plans setting out how building materials and other waste products will be removed from the site and recycling, reuse and recovery will be maximised.

Free online advice service NetRegs is urging businesses to use its resources - including a simple step-by-step guide to SWMPs - to ensure they comply with the new regulations.

NetRegs provides information on environmental issues for a wide range of industries, which companies can search through by industry sector or environmental topic.

There is also a section to keep businesses up to date with environmental legislation, and companies can sign up for email alerts when new information or resources are placed on the site.

For more information, visit www.netregs.gov.uk

Green construction guide

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) have unveiled a new guide for manufacturers of building products about labelling their products.

The Rules of Thumb Guide to Recycled Content in Construction Products will help manufacturers of products containing recycled content to accurately calculate and declare the amount of recycled content.

It is intended to make it easier for developers to comply with existing and forthcoming environmental legislation (such as Site Waste Management Plans, due to be introduced in April 2008) and targets set by planning authorities.

A copy of the guide can be downloaded from http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction/construction_procurement/tools_publications/index.html

Construction industry told to tighten up on pollution

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The construction and demolition industry was responsible for more than 120 cases of pollution that caused environmental damage to waterways in England and Wales in 2006.

Businesses in the industry were reminded that they should plan carefully to prevent pollution of watercourses - and avoid costly clean up bills and fines - as the Environment Agency published new pollution prevention guidelines.

The guidelines aim to offer construction businesses simple steps they can take to assess potential problems and identify steps to prevent any incidents.

The Pollution Prevention Guidelines includes advice on topics such as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) to control surface water runoff, safe use of concrete and cement, and safe use of herbicides.

It also provides information on what businesses should do and who they should contact if pollution does occur.

The guidelines are available by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

'World's greenest city'

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Plans have been unveiled for a development in Abu Dhabi that is set to be the world's greenest city.

WWF and the government-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company have launched a Sustainability Action Plan for Masdar City, which will begin construction this year.

The zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city aims to exceed the 10 sustainability principles of the One Planet Living initiative developed by WWF and environmental consultancy BioRegional.

Electricity and cooling for the six-kilometre square city will be provided by solar energy, while water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant.

Greywater and treated wastewater will be used for watering gardens and parks, as well as crops grown outside the city.

For more information see http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=14069&channel=3

Defra consultation on construction, demolition and excavation waste

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment Agency have launched a consultation on proposed changes to regulations for dealing with construction, demolition and excavation waste.

The informal consultation focuses on the rules for the recovery and disposal of inert waste such as brick, concrete and subsoil.

The proposals cover topics such as testing inert wastes that are landfilled, the quality of guidance, and terminology used to describe the waste.

Responses have to be returned by March 21. The paper can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/topics/index.htm

Free carbon calculator for builders

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management(ECCM) has developed a free and easy-to-use Building Materials Carbon Calculator, which will analyse the embodied CO2 in the materials used in a building. The tool is the first of its kind and will help decision makers select the best material to minimise a building’s carbon footprint.

Richard Tipper, Director at ECCM explained: “This simple to use tool is designed to clear the haze surrounding calculating a building’s materials footprint. We receive lots of enquiries from the construction industry, all wanting to understand and analyse the CO2. The calculator allows users to type in the quantities for the materials used in each element of a building and then assess the associated CO2 using scientifically backed emissions data.”

The building elements compared within the tool are: foundations, external walls, roof, cladding, floors, insulation, internal walls, windows and doors.

The free tool can be downloaded from: http://www.eccm.uk.com/calculators.html

Design competition will be held for eco-towns

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The government has revealed plans for an international competition to find architects and designers for its 10 proposed eco-towns of up to 20,000 homes.

Housing minister Yvette Cooper has signalled that the two-phase contest will be launched by the end of the year with the winners selected early next year.

Cooper wants each town to contain a variety of architectural styles and building types.

She has said the towns should be “the antithesis of the monolithic, identikit aesthetic which is too often associated with new housing”, and stressed that each should draw on its local history and character, and also provide jobs and services.

Developments in Scandinavia and the Netherlands are likely to feature as inspiration — the prime minister is known to be impressed by Hammarby Sjöstad in Sweden.

The competition’s first phase will focus on design principles, while the second phase will concentrate on individual town designs.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3096787

75% support Site Waste Management Plans

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Plans which aim to reduce waste on building sites have been broadly welcomed by the construction industry.

Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) would look to reduce the quantity of materials used, encourage reuse and recycling and consider environmentally sustainable disposal where this was not possible.

Around 13% of material delivered to construction sites goes unused while up to a third ends up in landfill sites.

Three quarters of responses to the Government consultation on SWMPs was in favour of the idea.

Defra believes SWMPs could cut around 109m tonnes of wastage a year.

The views will now feed into Defra's preparation of regulations to come into force in England in 2008.

Autumn grants to help businesses invest in recycling

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Capital grants are being made available to support ambitious businesses to create new waste recycling capacity in South East of England by investing in new waste treatment and reprocessing equipment.

Last year, EnviroBusiness ran a highly successful competition for grants through their ‘Invest in Recycling’ initiative. Through the scheme, five businesses received substantial funding enabling them to invest in new equipment to grow their recycling or reprocessing activities. These ranged from Woodhorn Group, a composting business in Sussex, to PPR Wipag, a plastics recycler in Kent and Impact Recycling a commercial waste management company in Kent.

This autumn, capital grants of up to £134,0003 are once again being made available. Funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), the purpose of the grants is to accelerate investments into all types of waste recycling and reprocessing activities. When awarding the grant funds, particular priority will be placed on investments that will enable increased recovery of construction and demolition wastes, paper, cardboard and organic material such as food wastes.

For further information go to http://www.envirobusiness.co.uk/iir-current-opportunities.html

The Green Perspective

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0100

‘The Green Perspective’ report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has revealed that over 94% of construction professionals believe that ‘green’ building is the future for the construction industry.

The survey examined the construction industry’s attitude towards climate change and the role of sustainable construction, and was completed by nearly 850 members of the industry.

The study shows that awareness within the industry has been heightened in regards to environmental issues and their implications for the future of the industry: 98% of respondents accept that construction has a role to play in climate change, 94.6% believe that ‘green’ building is the future for construction, and 86.2 % believe that there are financial benefits to producing energy efficient buildings. It was also shown that the industry itself sees the importance of sustainable building however 67% of respondents felt that the current UK building regulations do not go far enough to create energy efficient buildings.

The full report can be accessed at http://www.ciob.org.uk/resources/publications

Miliband publishes strategy to cut waste

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

On 24th May 2007, David Miliband (Environment Secretary) published a new strategy for cutting waste. A key part of this strategy is the emphasis it places on everyone – including businesses, individuals, local authorities and the Government – to play a role in cutting the waste they produce.

The Government is also launching a consultation on removing the ban on local authorities introducing financial incentives for recycling. Any such schemes will have to return all revenues back to local residents.

For further information on this, and key points of the waste strategy, please visit http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/070524c.htm

Consultation on site waste management plans for the construction industry

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Site waste management plans (SWMPs) were introduced in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, and are currently voluntary. The Government has now issued proposals to make these compulsory in England. They will affect all work involving construction or demolition waste, and aim to reduce fly-tipping and to promote resource savings from minimising waste.

Defra has issued a consultation package on this, which includes an explanation of the proposals, a partial regulatory impact assessment and draft regulations. The closing date from responses is July 9th 2007.

The consultation can be accessed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/%0D%0Aconsult/construction-sitewaste/index.htm%0D%0A

'Waste neutrality' tool launched

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

A tool measuring performance towards 'waste neutrality' in construction has been launched by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

The guide is aimed at helping the construction industry achieve 'waste neutrality' by considering factors such as where the value of construction materials wasted is equal to the value of additional reused and recycled content used on a project, and allow the construction strategy to include a process to offset environmental impact.

The Net Waste Method will measure progress towards waste neutrality on a construction project by considering both the value of reused and recycled materials going into the works, and the value of waste materials coming out. This will help the industry reduce costs and increase profits through waste reduction and improved site waste management.

The tool can be accessed at http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction/the_net_waste.html

Other e-newsletters

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:03:29 +0100

Many of the organiations listed within this document publish their own email newsletters, which are often available free to users registered on their website or for a monthly subscription. Examples of these e-bulletins are provided below:

WRAP's Construction Waste Commitment Update

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The University of Cambridge, who expect to raise £300m for major building and renovation works in 2010, is the latest organisation to sign up to the Halving Waste to Landfill Construction Commitments, the voluntary agreement aimed at encouraging the construction industry to play its part in halving the construction, demolition and excavation waste it sends to landfill by 2012. This brings the total number of signatories to a new milestone of 350.

To find out more, go to the WRAP construction website.