Dec 11 2008
Leading companies across the construction supply chain have committed to collectively halve the amount of construction waste sent to landfill by 2012. Just a few weeks after the launch of The Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill, over 30 organisations have signed up to WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) voluntary agreement - including leading clients and contractors, Land Securities, Defence Estates and Laing O’Rourke.
Reducing construction waste is a key focus for the construction industry. In a recent survey undertaken by WRAP, 90 per cent of those questioned stressed that it is a still high priority despite fears that the economic climate will stall 'green' projects as companies become more concerned with the bottom line. Of this 90 per cent, all believe they have the capabilities in place to implement WRAP’s Halving Waste to Landfill commitment.
ASDA - the first major retailer to sign up to the commitment - is one such example. Commenting on its rationale for signing up to Halving Waste to Landfill, Barry Springgay, Construction Director at ASDA said: "By making a concrete pledge to send zero construction waste to landfill from both our store and depot operations by the end of 2010, we’re pioneering a cleaner, smarter way of working.
“By auditing exactly what materials are needed for each building project and segregating any waste that's produced so that it can be reused or recycled, we're expecting to save more than £1m a year, and divert 12,000 tonnes from landfill annually.”
Over half of the companies surveyed (52 per cent) are considering setting their own individual waste reduction targets which will exceed the collective national benchmark of halving waste to landfill by 2012. A quarter (24 per cent) are considering project-specific requirements.
The agreement comes at a time when the economic argument for waste reduction is growing ever stronger as Liz Goodwin, Chief Executive of WRAP explains: “Waste by its very definition is a missed opportunity - the true cost of waste is over 10 times higher than the cost of disposal, once the value of the wasted materials is taken into account.
“The uptake of the voluntary agreement is a positive indication of the industry’s dedication to reducing waste and it’s very encouraging to see such a positive response so soon after its launch. But change will only happen through collective action from the whole of the construction supply chain and we urge many more companies to follow suit and realise the benefits of setting waste reduction targets.”