Welsh construction businesses clean up
- Effective waste management adds revenue to balance sheet
February 2009: As a major casualty of the economic slump, construction businesses
in Wales are being urged to take positive action to save money through cutting out
unnecessary waste. With the Welsh Assembly Government taking Site Waste
Management Plans (SWMPs) into consultation in Spring 2009, environmental
guidance website, NetRegs.gov.uk, is offering businesses guidance on how to
manage site waste effectively ahead of the proposed SWMP legislation.
Around 1.1m tonnes of construction and demolition waste was sent to landfill in 2007
in Wales1. Much of this waste could have been re-used or recycled, representing
massive missed cost savings for construction businesses. In the same year around
4,000 fly-tipping incidents of construction waste illegally dumped in the countryside
were reported by local authorities in Wales.
SWMPs provide a tool to help manage materials and reduce the waste that
construction projects produce. At the same time, businesses can check that they are
complying with waste legislation such as the Duty of Care. NetRegs is proposing
businesses use SWMPs as ‘good practice’, regardless of whether or not they
become a legal requirement in Wales. If Welsh construction businesses act now,
they could get ahead of competitors and use SWMPs to help them win new business.
Save money and win new business
Recent UK-wide research conducted by NetRegs with the Federation of Master
Builders (FMB) positively showed that 48 per cent of those that have used SWMPs
reported money savings for their business as a result of less wastage and more
efficient handling of materials. In addition, 24 per cent stated that using the plans had
helped them win new business.
1
EA Wales, Waste information 2007
Some businesses differentiate themselves through accreditation schemes, such as
the Code for Sustainable Homes in Wales developed by