Envirowise and WRAP round table on waste

Of all the UK's industry sectors construction has the potential to make the greatest impact on the reduction of waste to landfill.

At present the industry produces around 120 million tonnes of waste per year, representing one-third of the UK total.

Around half of this material is reused and recycled, mainly as aggregates, and a further amount is used for landfill engineering and backfilling quarries. The 20 million tonnes that remains goes to landfill.

Not only is this a waste of resources, it also has a business impact. Any reduction in waste to landfill will have an environmental impact, but will also deliver cost and efficiency savings.

This is why the Sustainability Forum, together with organisations such as Envirowise and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) believe a 50% cut in materials waste going to landfill by the year 2012 is an achievable industry-wide target.

How can the industry benefit?

Historically, the industry hasn't performed well in terms of sustainability. Under the pressures of time and cost, environmental issues can be overlooked. Nick Clark, environmental manager at Bovis, explains: "In the past you would dump waste in a skip and then find a home for it. Now we need to consider the waste we expect to generate and the options for its disposal."

But assessing the waste early on in a programme is still rare despite the introduction of site waste management plans, says Adam McTavish, associate at Cyril Sweett. "There just isn't the level of detail pinpointing where the waste has come from. Clients say they can't track the cost of waste reduction."

There can be an element of buck-passing, particularly when every level of the supply chain is under pressure. Designers are often blamed for over-specification, explains Matthew Edis, associate sustainability consultant at BDP, but they need a mandate from the client, who needs to see the benefit. "As a designer we have more pressures but we don't have the time. Design fees are being squeezed as responsibilities increase. There's no time for detailing and specification. If you're designing and worrying about risk you design for the safest option."

This is where organisations such as Envirowise and WRAP come in, providing the guidance for the industry to realise waste, and cost, savings. "We intend to provide a clear business case," says David Vaughan, construction programme team leader at Envirowise. "Designers don't have the time but it would be found if the client realised they could be paying less."

Practical examples

This takes time and involvement of the whole supply chain, but it can have benefits across the board. With the knowledge and confidence in more resource-efficient ways of working, real progress can be achieved. And there are examples of collaborative approaches that will provide data that can be used to reduce waste.

Mervyn Jones, programme manager for waste minimisation and management at WRAP, says the body is already talking to contractors to identify areas of improvement and generate key performance indicators. "We're working with contractors like Bovis and looking at a wide range of waste data," he says. "We need to get a standard level and a good practice level over a wide range of materials. This isn't about offsetting, it's to identify key products that can facilitate waste reduction."

This data can then be presented to the client to demonstrate the waste - and in turn cost - savings that can be achieved without compromising the project. Once the client is on board, the ideology is then driven down the supply chain, says Steve Millwood, environmental and quality director at Jewson. "We work with five major contractors and 10 manufacturers to work out reducing waste down the supply chain," he adds. "There's a problem with pallets and packaging but these are being addressed. Working with the supply chain - right back to the client - is crucial."

Few question the existence or benefit of site waste management plans, but there is recognition that further tangible data is required to work out more efficient processes of project design, material specification and on-site recycling. "The Environment Agency has published a report of resource efficiency in the construction supply chain," continues Jones. "It is estimated there are 10 million tonnes of construction products going directly to landfill. This has a value of £1.5bn, in effect 1% of the construction sector. That's a pretty compelling business case."

The great debate

The expert panel

• Steve Millwood, environmental and quality director, Jewson
• James Stagg, deputy/commissioning editor, Contract Journal
• Mervyn Jones, programme manager for waste minimisation and management, WRAP
• Jane Thornback, environmental policy advisor, Construction Products Association
• Nick Clark, environmental manager, Bovis Lend Lease
• Glenn Manners, managing director, Dukeries
• Matthew Edis, associate sustainability consultant, BDP
• James Bennett, managing director, Hippowaste
• David Vaughan, construction programme team leader, Envirowise
• Adam McTavish, associate, Cyril Sweett

What are the barriers to halving waste to landfill by 2012?

Matthew Edis: "As a designer, there are more pressures and less time. Waste minimisation can swiftly drop down the pecking order. You tend to design for the safest option and waste management can be compromised by the programme/finances."

Adam McTavish: "Very few contractors know how much waste they have generated. We need to identify a level of detail that provides the knowledge of where the waste has actually come from."

Steve Millwood: "There is still a problem with packaging it needs to be optimised to prevent unnecessary waste. Some products arrive on site with too much packaging, others, like pallets, can be an issue. We need to work out how site waste management works at the sharp end."

Glenn Manners: "The major issue is time and the total involvement of the supply chain. Smaller contractors can see sustainability issues just as a cost. Local Authority projects often have waste targets, but unless main contractors have a full time waste manager the problem can be ignored."

Mervyn Jones: "At WRAP we are always looking at developing guidance. The critical factor is to target the client, who can set the tone for a project."

David Vaughan: "There needs to be a clear business case for buy-in by the client and tackling the issue of waste at the design stage. Then further down the chain further guidance can be provided by on-site visits."

Glenn Manners: "On the big projects with major clients best practice will occur, but on the smaller end, I'm not convinced it will happen. There is a need to legislate."

What are the drivers necessary for halving waste to landfill by 2012?

David Vaughan: "There needs to be successful examples of site waste management plans and guidance for those who are keen to improve their waste performance. To this end we are working with WRAP and other industry bodies to develop best practice guidance for companies to follow."

Nick Clarke: "There must be benefits and a reason for the whole supply chain to participate. There should be KPI's in waste management programmes and a desire to improve. There are also design issues that need to be addressed. We all need to be working toward the same goal."

James Bennett: "Contractually, if it's passed down to the subcontractor, the main contractor doesn't think it's their problem any more. We need to get buy-in from everyone. Unless someone loses a big customer over waste and sustainability then these targets don't seem to have any teeth."

Matthew Edis: "It's about time and desire. There has to be a specific focus. You already get some who will embrace waste management, some who will just tick the box and some who will avoid it at all costs. We need some kind of mandate."

Mervyn Jones: "In WRAP we are looking at developing guidance, but that's just one level. The critical factor is buy-in from the client who can then pass the desire down the chain."

Adam McTavish: "We've had a couple of clients in the last two weeks asking for someone to check on waste management. People are waking up to it but it will take some time."

Who are the key groups in the supply chain that can facilitate delivery of the target?

Matthew Edis: "There can be problems at the planning stage, where designers get into the nitty-gritty. The simple issues can be overlooked. But the new generation are starting to talk the talk. Designers can design out some waste but there will always be the element of safety - we don't want contractors on site without the right amount of materials and often that means overspecifying."

Glenn Manners: "At the moment only some people seem to understand. I think there needs to be more training in the industry on the subject. As a contractor you can sometimes be dictated to by the design. There needs to be more understanding in the design process."

Nick Clarke: "What we need is for anyone who comes on site to be trained in waste management to a national level. There also must be work educating the supply chain."

Matthew Edis: "In terms of design, there can be too much choice. The technical capabilities to deliver are endless. Perhaps we need the training of designers to get the best out of any particular project, but it's the clients who have the chequebook."

Adam McTavish: "Clients can have a lack of knowledge as to exactly what is happening. They tend to say that they cannot track the cost of waste reduction. There are not that many mechanisms in place to facilitate this data moving up the chain."

Mervyn Jones: "We do need to focus on waste levels. That's why we're working with contractors like Bovis and looking at a range of waste data to make public. What we need is a good practice level over a range of materials. This will help people see the cost of the waste to both the contractor and the client and identify key products to help reduce this."

How can the construction sector work together to achieve this target?

David Vaughan: "There is a desperate need for more integration in the supply chain. Communication issues need to be addressed to make sure everyone is working together. We've been presenting tools and guidance on how to reduce waste but looking forward we intend to offer real examples of the actual process."

Jane Thornback: "Many groups are joining in the debate and trying to push the issue of waste forward. Trade associations are developing resource efficiency programmes and we have tried and tested methods of passing information down the chain. But there does need to be better dialogue among industry organisations in order that we are all working towards the same goal."

Steve Millwood: "There are two main areas of concern the client at one end and at the other the contractor who throws the material away. In the middle the architect, designers, manufacturers and distributors can also do their bit but it's up to the client to take responsibility for the waste stream that comes out at the end. Minimisation is the key. We have to take it out at the front end."

Adam McTavish: "If, like in Building Schools for the Future projects, we can roll out a similar set of buildings with standardised components, there is the opportunity to learn and improve from project to project."

Matthew Edis: "Standardised designs would certainly make the designer's life easier and reduce costs. We have to react to individual clients, but if we can build in standard modules then there is the chance to reduce waste generation."

Nick Clarke: "What we want is a waste stream with fewer materials that can't be recycled. We now consider early in the project if there is waste we can't find a home for. We then have an opportunity to go back and substitute it out of the building or create as little of it as possible."

Video of the debate

 

Looking ahead

What is the future of successful waste management and how can existing examples be adapted and developed by the construction industry?

With the introduction of site waste management plans (SWMPs) for every project of over £300,000, there is little doubt that waste is already a key issue for the construction industry. And for those who go a step further and make waste management an integral part of a project there is the opportunity to add value, and reduce cost.

Public sector projects already lead the way in addressing the sustainability and waste agenda. An example of this is the 2012 Olympics.

The strategy developed for this high profile projects is unprecedented for a development of this nature. It will ensure that, during the construction phase, new standards in sustainable design and waste management will be met. The performance measures include reducing waste by design and recycling, with 90% of demolition material being re-used and recycled, and at least 20% of materials used in permanent venues and associated works set to be recycled.

Jane Thornback, environmental policy advisor at the Construction Products Association, says even if these tough targets aren't quite met it will be a positive learning curve for the industry. "Just by getting close the industry will benefit from the positive example and feedback. Of course you need government targets and landfill taxes providing rewards e_SFlbfor less waste," she adds.

Waste best practice

And it's not just the Olympics where this best practice is already in action. PFI projects have for some time focused on recycling-led and sustainable solutions, and the same is true of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. In the case of BSF a standard set of building elements, optimised to reduce waste, have been devised from which the bulk of construction is completed.

The retail sector has followed suit, realising the cost and efficiency benefit involved. Large clients such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer see the benefits of standardisation, enabling projects to be rolled out efficiently with the minimum environmental impact.

"In many of these cases the client appoints a waste champion," says Mervyn Jones of WRAP. "There are also very successful supply chain partnerships involving targets and contractual clauses, with support and training built in."

A real difference could be made if this kind of model could be rolled out across other sectors, says Adam McTavish, associate at Cyril Sweett. "If we were constructing a similar set of buildings there's a massive opportunity to learn from project to project," he says. There is also the suggestion that incorporating a 'waste manager' to oversee the control of waste from the design stage, through specification, to site would save more money than it would cost. "Even if you save half a percent on a big project, that could make £300,000," McTavish continues. "You can buy a hell of a lot of waste management advice for that."

Supply chain collaboration

If real progress is to be made there is recognition that collaboration across the supply chain is required. Further hikes in landfill tax and pressure to meet corporate social responsibility targets will mean that clients will increasingly demand action on waste.

But there also needs to be communication up and down the chain. The client needs to feel responsible and spread the responsibility across a project. Both designers and product manufacturers will be looking to reduce materials and packaging and, if possible, make sure it's recyclable, while contractors are tasked with putting in place recycling routines on site.

Work conducted by Envirowise and WRAP will enable the entire chain to benefit from advice, support and sensible business case examples for the implementation of total waste management.

The organisations are working together through, and with, trade bodies to encourage and assist the achievement of halving waste to landfill by 2012.

Any firm taking advantage will find that, with the increased focus on waste, staying a step ahead can be a real business differentiator.

What can we do to make a difference?

"We're supporting supply chain partnerships in the retail sector and we're looking at how we can transfer this to construction." David Vaughan

"The first step we've taken is joining up our programmes. We've got a three-year plan involving working alongside trade bodies to a common goal." Mervyn Jones

"The client needs to see the cost benefit, it's the only way." Glenn Manners

"We need to be clear and transparent. As a designer I need a target, then I can get on and do it." Matthew Edis

"Clients must measure the contractor against the site waste management plan." James Bennett

"We need to create a stream with less material that can't be recycled." Nick Clarke

"The Green Guide will be a useful tool to help achieve sustainability in terms of the lifecycle of products. Hopefully it will address some concerns in terms of balance." Jane Thornback

"The client needs to be made to feel responsible and the contractor should be educated in how best to deal with particular materials and the associated waste." Steve Millwood

"If we roll out a similar set of buildings there is massive potential to learn from project to project." Adam McTavish

Want to know more?

For free independent advise and support on practical ways to minimise waste, contact Envirowise. Visit their website here

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