1. Site Waste Management Plans and the Code
Outline
Who is WRAP?
Why reduce waste?
Who’s doing what?
What constructors can do
What support is available
Dr Mervyn Jones, WRAP

2. WRAP’s seven programmes
WRAP’s construction focus:
Waste minimisation and management
Materials recycling
Procurement - (Recycled Content)

3. Materials resource efficiency
Overall material consumption by construction industry (>400 Mt per year)
M tonnes
Overall waste generated (>150 Mt per year)
As stated previously, construction is one of the biggest users of materials in the economy, consuming approximately 420 million tonnes of materials each year. It also generates some 106 million tonnes of inert construction, demolition and excavation waste each year, only half of which is currently recycled or reclaimed back into construction. And an additional 20-30M tonnes of non-inert non-hazardous waste with very low recovery rates.
Use of construction products and materials that have above average levels of recycled content will help improve this situation.
Quantity of construction and demolition waste generated (~100 Mt per year inerts)
controlled waste (~20 Mt per year)
Waste construction materials that are recycled / re-used (~60 Mt per year)

4. Materials efficiency as part of sustainable construction
Sustainability goals
Green Guide
Demolition Protocol
Energy
Materials
Water
Material selection
Waste management
Ecopoints
Use less material
Waste avoidance and minimisation
Efficient use of finite natural materials
The 3 major areas where a construction project can improve its environmental impact are efficient use of energy, water and materials. This slide shows the different dimensions of materials efficiency.
This diagram depicts the 2 main aspects of materials efficiency:
- reducing the use of finite natural resources
- reducing the amount of waste
Recycling both reduces waste volumes going to landfill and, provided the sector uses products/ materials with recycled content, substitutes for virgin materials.
According to WWF, we need a two-thirds’ reduction in consumption of fossil fuels and virgin materials to achieve a sustainable and globally equitable level of resource use – termed One Planet Living.
Material selection – i.e. which specifications used and which specific products fulfil these specifications. These two elements are a similar but different and are managed in different ways.
Tools such as the Green Guide to Specification, are designed to help in selection of specifications that have low environmental impact.
Once the design specifications have been determined then it is possible to further enhance resource efficiency of the project by ensuring that the specific products used to fulfil the specification have higher levels of recycled content or are from a sustainably managed renewable source.
High levels of recycled content can come through use of onsite or local aggregates and demolition materials, or from use of ‘new’ products that use recycled materials as feedstocks.
Waste management – this includes:
Designing out waste wherever possible (e.g. use of off-site manufacturing)
Good site practices, with careful storage and management of waste
- Segregation of wastes for reclaim or recycling (onsite or at a dedicated facility)
Returning surplus materials for reuse
Use local C&D waste / reclaimed products
Return surplus materials
Use products with higher recycled content
Segregate, recover, reclaim and recycle
Minimising environmental damage
DTI Site Waste Management Plans
Specification of materials with low enviro. impact
RC Toolkit

5. Code for Sustainable Homes (2006)
'Where the site waste management plan includes procedures and commitments that minimise waste generated on site in accordance with WRAP/Envirowise guidance'
Now an additional credit in the Code (published Dec 2006)
e.g. Ensure there is a site waste management plan in operation which requires the monitoring of waste on site and the setting of targets to
promote resource efficiency.
Construction
EITHER
waste Where the site waste management plan includes procedures and commitments that minimise waste generated on site in accordance
with WRAP/Envirowise guidance (0.9 credits) OR
Where the above is achieved and the plan includes procedures and commitments to sort, reuse and recycle construction waste either
on site or through a licensed external contractor (1.8)

6. Waste Management Hierarchy
Reduce the generation of waste
Reuse materials for the same or a different purpose
Recycle the materials to recover value
Dispose, using the best practical environmental option
Focus should be clearly on the potential to reduce waste before it arises.
Also consider energy recovery (downcycling) as further option between recycling (added value) and disposal to landfill.

7. True Cost of Waste e.g. 8 cu yd skip Skip hire £120
The original purchase price and transportation costs of the materials +
The cost of their handling, storage, transport and disposal
The loss of income from not salvaging the materials
e.g. 8 cu yd skip
Skip hire £120
Labour to fill skip £163
Cost of materials put in skip £1095
TOTAL TRUE COST £1378
(Source: AMEC)
AMEC – Darlington Study

8. Example – Concrete Block
True cost of waste
Extraction of raw material for block
Delivered to point of fix
Energy for block manufacture
Broken whilst being laid
Stored for transport
Not just environmental impact in terms of landfill but also a significant reduction in carbon footprint when you consider the embodied energy at all stages
Taken to waste container
Delivered to site
Disposed of
Stored on site
Embodied energy at all stages!

9. Potential savings Case studies have shown savings of:
3% of build costs
20% of materials on site
0.2% of total project costs saved through segregation
(Source: Taylor Woodrow)
90%

10. Residential Waste Streams
The top five waste streams for residential, in terms of arisings are:
Concrete & bricks
Packaging
Timber
Plasterboard
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous = insulation, plastics etc

11. Waste per average newbuild house
Typical 80m2 housing unit =
15.36m3 waste
Approx 5 skips
9.6 tonnes
£6,715
Per metre squared equates
to:
0.192 m3
skips
120kg waste
£84/m2
95 Flats Social Housing Flats in Edinburgh savings of £4,210 per unit
Beckenham (private sector) 75 homes savings of £7000 per unit

12. Waste Segregation Basic waste segregation into:
General Waste (Non-hazardous)
Inert Waste
Mixed Metals
(+ Hazardous waste separated out)

13. £90 £90 £0 £258 £90 Turn this into this….. SLIDE Build
After 10 October 2007 EA will require all non-hazardous waste to be pre-treated before going to landfill – at its most basic this means separating waste to some degree.
Clearly not all sites have this much space for waste containers but you do have to ensure safe provision for controlling waste on site but the slide illustrates two points:
Think beyond standard 8yd skips in terms of range waste container solutions on-site – Big bags, wheelie bins (240, 660l) and 5, 8, 12, 26 yd skips.
Separating waste can result in significant variations (and savings for materilas disposal.
Consider:
Simons Construction 3 skip principle or 20: 40: 60 rule:
Total waste down 20%
Waste cost of disposal down 40%
Total waste to landfill by 60%
£90
£90 £0
£258
£90

14. Waste Segregation e.g. Simons Construction Saving of £3,035
Housing development (30 skips /week):
Mixed waste system = £4,970
Segregated waste = £1,935
Ca 60% saving
e.g. Simons Construction
Saving of £3,035

15. SWMP format 3 elements: Guidance covers: Guidance
Checklist (35 questions)
Data recording sheet
Guidance covers:
Waste and legislation
Duty of care
Waste minimisation
Training materials
Reporting requirements
CHECKLIST
Useful ‘aide memoir’ for developing and implementing a SWMP
‘Questions to consider’ based on project stages:
Policy
Procurement
Project Planning
Site Operations
Provides clear audit trail and record for actions
Data Sheet
Example of data collection sheet
Record the types and quantities of waste arising and their management
Use to record and monitor performance and targets
Record waste movements, helping with Duty of Care requirements
Step 1 – Responsibility & development
Step 2 – Types & quantities of waste arisings throughout the work programme/plan (setting targets)
Step 3 – Waste minimisation & management options
Step 4 – Compliance with Duty of Care
Step 5 - Training of in-house and sub-contract staff
Step 6 – Plan for efficient materials and waste handling & develop targets
Step 7 – Measure waste quantities and types
Step 8 – Monitoring against targets
Step 9 – Review

16. Message of SWMP Pre design stages Design stages Construction stages
Part of early project planning process as a framework introducing other tool & requirements such as demolition protocol, duty of care etc
Design stages
The design is a key factor in influencing waste arising during construction. Encourage design team to reduce waste at source.
Construction stages
Implement on site at all levels of construction activity. Communication and training to all site staff, where necessary.
Though it should be noted that SWMP is mainly looking at managing waste arising but this tool can be used as mechanism to source reduction of waste.
The implementation of SWMP can be used decision making tool during pre design and design stages. This means that how design and initial planning can contribute to the effective implementation of SWMP by looking material specification and construction stages and potential waste streams. Many variables and restraints affect the design process that in turn affects the wastes arising and the resultant opportunities for designing out waste. Such issues include materials choice, complexity, communication and co-ordination.

17. Site Waste Management Plans: Current Practice
Activity not carried out
Activity carried out occasionally or at low level
Activity carried out thoroughly on all sites
SWMP is only a framework and it depends on how it is used as to how effective it can be in reducing waste and costs.
If we make the assumption that addressing all the checklist questions will result in best practice we can see that even where they are being used, existing SWMPs typically fall well short in practice -
There is clearly scope to improve beyond simply producing a SWMP as a tick box exercise

18. Housing Sector SWMP Support
Sector specific suite of tools, requirements and guidance
Provides model templates, requirements and clauses for incorporating into new and existing SWMPs based on:
Standard practice
Good practice
Best practice
In draft stage and will be published in April in Association with The Housing Forum, NHBC and the BRE

19. Housing Sector SWMP Support
Specific elements include:
Guidance for commissioning clients and housebuilders
Template for developing a waste strategy
Model clauses for
Trade contractors
Waste service providers
Requirements for good and best practice implementation of SWMPs
In draft stage and will be published in April in Association with The Housing Forum, NHBC and the BRE

20. Materials Resource Efficiency in Construction