90% of Olympic construction waste to be recycled

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has pledged to recover, reuse or recycle 90% of construction waste on the 2012 Olympic site.

Announcing the appointment of Veolia Environmental Services as waste management contractor, it said any waste created in construction would be recovered and diverted from landfill.

The ODA said it had also developed an environmental management system that had been audited and certified to the international standard of ISO 14001 – a first for a major project of such size.

ODA sustainability boss Dan Epstein said the body had exceeded its target for reclaiming materials from the demolition and clearing of the site.

“As we move into the construction phase, we have set ourselves another incredibly ambitious target to recover and reuse or recycle 90% of the construction waste," he said.

“This is unprecedented for a development of this size, scale and complexity.”