WRAP – the Waste & Resources Action Programme – has collected data from 32 of the UK’s largest contractors and found a 28% reduction in the construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste sent to landfill between 2008 and 2009.
The contractors committed to halving the 15m tonnes of CD&E waste that the industry sent to landfill in 2007 within five years. WRAP says that figures collated from individual company data show that the first signatories to complete a one-year evaluation of their waste reduction performance have all significantly decreased waste sent to landfill.
The 32 contractors signed up to the scheme have monitored and reported annual performance for their CD&E waste through the WRAP Waste to Landfill Reporting Portal. These companies consist of most of the UK’s largest contractors and represent total construction annual spend in excess of £21bn over the reporting period.
The combined figures for the 32 companies show an absolute decrease of 28% in the CD&E waste sent to landfill between 2008 and 2009. That is a drop from 3.1m tonnes in 2008 to 2.2m tonnes by year end 2009.
WRAP also measured the amount of waste sent to landfill per £ million spent on construction (including refurbishment and demolition) for these same companies. This indicator takes into account changes in construction activity which could have affected the absolute tonnage figures. The figures indicate a decrease of 44%; from 178t in 2008 to 100t in 2009.
The data shows signatories are also now creating less waste. There is a decrease in waste arising relative to construction spend of some 23%, an indication that companies are taking action to prevent waste being produced, WRAP said.
Dr Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP said, “Today’s Halving Waste to Landfill figures are just the beginning and give me confidence that industry is working hard and well on track to deliver the target by 2012. In just over two years the Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment has gone from zero to influencing nearly £38bn- worth of construction projects. This demonstrates that the commitment requirements are being embedded within industry and this is delivering great results for business and the environment.”
Signatories are reducing their waste to landfill through a range of measures including:
• using their procurement process to set requirements for their supply chains
• designing out waste
• reducing wastage rates with more efficient material delivery logistics, storage and handling on site
• recovering more waste through improved segregation
• working with more efficient waste management contractors.
WRAP has produced a library of best practice Case Studies based on the actions of a large number of signatories. These outline the many and various ways in which industry is tackling waste head on. These case studies are available to download by clicking here
The full report on progress so far can be found by clicking here.
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