Site Waste Management

Background

• The construction industry is responsible for some 120 million tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste (CDEW) every year

• Around one third of all waste arising in the UK.

• An estimated 25 million tonnes of this waste ends up in landfill without any form of recovery or reuse. (source: WRAP, 2008)

• Recognising the environmental and economic impacts of these levels of wastage and landfilling of material resources, the Government’s ‘Strategy for Sustainable Construction’ has established the target of a 50% reduction in construction, demolition and excavation waste to landfill from 2008 levels by 2012.

• The Strategic Forum for Construction’s Construction Commitments have adopted this target for the UK construction industry.

• Halving waste to landfill by 2012 also supports the Scottish Parliament’s Zero Waste Scotland policy and construction waste reduction policies in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Site waste management plans (SWMP) Regulations 2008

• From 2008 it has been mandatory, in England, to produce a site waste management plan (SWMP) for all new construction projects worth more than £300,000 (excl. VAT).

• A SWMP records the amount and type of waste produced on a construction site and how it will be reused, recycled or disposed of.

• The SWMP must be produced before a start on site – but as a ‘live’ document, it will be updated throughout the period of its implementation.

• There are 3 stages in producing a SWMP:

1 Pre-construction (responsibility: client):
-Record project details
- Record measures taken during the design process to minimise waste
- Estimate the quantity of site waste
- Identify the nature of site waste
- Identify how the waste will be managed

2 Construction (responsibility: contractor):
- Record the waste actually produced
- Record how the waste was managed
- Add detail for projects in excess of £500,000 in value

3 Post-construction (responsibility: contractor):
- For projects of between £300,000 - £500,000 in value:
- Confirmation that the SWMP has been regularly monitored
- An explanation of any deviations between the draft and actual performance
- For projects in excess of £500,000 in value, in addition to the above:
          - Estimate the cost savings that have been achieved through using the plan

Code for Sustainable Homes

• A SWMP is mandatory under the Code. For projects under £300,000 in value, this is awarded by default. However for projects of all values, a SWMP will be required to earn credits.

• In addition to the minimum legal requirements of the SWMP Regulations, 2008 credits are awarded for plans that address the issues of reducing waste on site and for diverting waste from landfill (eg recycling, reusing, etc.).

• The procedure for obtaining credits is described in the Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide .

Credits available:
• 1 credit: the SWMP ‘… must include procedures and commitments for reducing waste generated on site in accordance with best practice and the defined waste groups.

• 1 credit: the SWMP ‘… must include procedures and commitments
to sort and divert waste from landfill (reuse, recycle, compost or otherwise
recover) according to the defined waste groups. This must be performed
either on site or through a licensed external contractor, in accordance with
best practice.’

BREEAM

• In a way similar to the Code for Sustainable Homes, BREAM enables credits to be obtained by exceeding the standard set by the SWMP Regulations, 2008.

• Credits are obtained by setting a performance benchmark as part of the SWMP for individual building types. For example:

Offices:
• The SWMP must contain:
a. The target benchmark for resource efficiency i.e. m³ of waste per 100m² or tonnes
of waste per 100m²
b. Procedures and commitments for minimising non-hazardous waste in line with the
benchmark
c. Procedures for minimising hazardous waste
d. Procedures for monitoring, measuring and reporting hazardous and non-hazardous
site waste
e. Procedures for sorting, reusing and recycling construction waste into defined waste
groups (see additional guidance section), either on site or through a licensed
external contractor
f. The name or job title of the individual responsible for implementing the above.

• 3 credits are awarded where the amount of non-hazardous construction waste generated is either < 9.2 m³ or < 4.7 tonnes per 100m² of gross internal floor area. 1 or 2 credits are awarded for achieving lesser benchmarks.

• 1 credit is awarded where at least 75% by weight or 65% by volume of non-hazardous construction waste generated by the project has been diverted from landfill.

Useful tools

SMARTWaste Plan

BRE have developed SMARTWaste Plan which is a free web-based tool to write and implement Site Waste Management Plans. It also has an integrated waste measurement function which has been developed from BRE's SMARTStart tool. More information: www.smartwaste.co.uk

WRAP SWMP Template

WRAP have developed a template to help and implement effective Site Waste Management Plans that not only comply with legislation but help identify and deliver Good and Best Practice. More information: www.wrap.org.uk/construction/construction_waste_minimisation_and_management/site_waste_managemen.html

Further information

• Waste Segregation (pdf copy of a GreenSpec presentation)
• Site Waste Management Plans - Guidance for Construction Contractors and Clients - (pdf -DTI 2004)