Minimising Waste on the Construction Site

Chapter 1 IntroductionProduced by Pointsbuild in partnership with the Master Builders

Association of NSW

Supported by the NSW Government as part of the Energy Efficiency Training Program — visit savepower.nsw.gov.au

Copyright and disclaimer The Office of Environment and Heritage and the State of NSW are pleased to allow this material to be used, reproduced and adapted, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged.  The Office of Environment and Heritage has made all reasonable effort to ensure that the contents of this document are factual and free of error. However, the State of NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage shall not be liable for any damage which may occur in relation to any person taking action or not on the basis of this document. Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of Premier and Cabinet59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard)Fax: (02) 9995 5999TTY: (02) 9211 4723Email: info@environment.nsw.gov.auWebsite: www.environment.nsw.gov.au

Minimising Waste on the Construction Site: Chapter 1 – Introduction____________________________________________________________________________________________

1 IntroductionUp to 40 per cent of the waste generated by Australians is building waste. Minimising and recycling this waste can have significant social, economic and environmental benefits for the community but more importantly for Builders, reducing waste can reduce the costs of building improving the bottom line profit, will assist in complying with increasingly stringent regulations for workplace health and safety and be a good advertisement to potential clients.This course takes you through the issues of waste on building sites, how waste can be reduced at all stages in the life of a project, by making good choices at the design stage through to managing construction processes on site effectively that will demonstrate the impacts decisions made by all involved have on quantities of waste generated.We will examine materials used in the building industry and any associated issues with their use and disposal. Recycling and reuse of materials and the raft of regulations that exist will be explored.To conclude, a sample site management plan is provided and reviewed that will provide a practical example of the onsite issues Builders can face today.The object is to reduce the amount of waste, reuse what you can and recycle the remainder.

The three R’s of waste minimisation: reduce, re-use, recycleReduce consumption of resources by building smaller houses that are better designed for your needs. This is the most effective way to conserve precious resources for use by future generations and reduce waste. It also lowers costs.Re-use existing buildings and materials and reduce demand for resources, lower waste volumes and save money.Recycle resources that are left over or have reached the end of their useful life. This will reduce demand for new materials and lower the volume of waste going to landfill.

Figure 1 Minimise Waste Hierarchy

You should aim to firstly minimise the quantity of waste generated on the building site, then handle and manage what waste is actually generated on site in accordance with good practice and local regulations.

Sending building materials to landfill is like throwing money away.Decisions made when ordering and selecting materials have a direct influence on the volume of waste generated and the impact on the wider environment. Consider buying renewable resources like plantation timber from sustainably managed forests. This creates a sustainable economy and helps conserve non-renewable resources.Use materials with high recycled content like hardwood rescued from a demolition site that will go a long way to creating a market for recycled resources. It will raise the price paid for recovered resources and help increase the viability of recycling.

__________________________________________________________________________________________  Unit of Competency: CPCCBC4021A 1

Figure 2 Minimise waste - saves money and provides a safer site

Traditionally, the community has disposed of waste into landfill sites that today is uneconomic. Costs to the community for operating and maintaining the traditional “tip” or landfill sites are high and suitable land is limited.Building costs are climbing and add up to many thousands of dollars on the typical Australian building project. Smarter thinking and smarter onsite management applied to your building projects will reduce your costs by reducing the volume of waste. Why pay for excess materials that end up in landfill? You pay twice. Initially when you buy the materials you need and then when you pay for the waste to be removed from site and pay dump fees on top. Waste in landfill sites give off emissions and contaminated water leaching from landfill sites can be highly toxic due to concentrations of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. These toxins find their way into the water table and/or waterways, often with disastrous consequences.

40 per cent of all waste that goes to landfill is building waste.We all have a responsibility to reduce waste volumes going to landfill and remove toxic content from materials before disposal.

Figure 3 Building waste to landfill

What are the barriers and opportunities for reducing waste on the construction site?

There are many opportunities to reduce waste on a building site. But what barriers exist to you reducing the waste streams on your projects?None!There is not much available data from within the building industry on the attitudes of individual builders whether large or small to reducing waste. There is however, research by Planet Ark on attitudes to the environment and on recycling by business that give a good guide to the drivers for reducing waste, recycling and reusing materials.In 2008, Planet Ark as part of National Recycling Week, released a report “Make Recycling Your Business”. Small and medium businesses were surveyed on their attitudes on the environment and if they were seeking to reduce the impact of their business on the environment.

“Currently larger businesses, that is those with more than 20 employees, are undertaking a greater range of activities designed to reduce their impact on the environment including: recycling paper,

Percentage of Waste to Landfill

36%

24%

40%Construction andDemolition

Municipal

Commercial andIndustrial

containers and printer cartridges; reducing energy use by installing energy efficient globes and switching off lights and computers; and embedding changes by developing environmental policies and establishing green teams.

Sole traders and businesses with 2-5 employees are more likely to have green power.

The research illustrates significant differences in motivations for recycling and going green for businesses of different sizes.

Smaller businesses were most likely to be influenced by the personal views of the business owner or manager while larger businesses were more likely to be influenced by concerns about corporate image, government regulation and competitor’s actions.

Saving energy as a way of saving money was the one positive influence for going green that was shared equally across all businesses, regardless of their size.”

Planet Ark - Make Recycling Your Business - 2008The research identified reducing waste as one of the key initiatives implemented by business in the preceding 12 months. It is good for your corporate image, it is good for the wider environment and it saves money by recuing your costs.

What influences a business to reduce its impact on the environment??The main influence in encouraging business to reduce their impact on the environment was saving money. Smaller businesses were directed in the main by the business owner’s views. Larger businesses were driven by influences including “improving corporate image”, “customer pressure” or “competitors undertaking similar initiatives”.

Figure 4 Influences for reducing environmental impact

Many construction companies are embracing a range of measures that reduces the impact of their activities on the environment, gives them a great corporate image in the wider community and helps the bottom line. Reducing waste on the construction site is a large part of achieving this goal. Let’s now look at what waste is and develop our understanding of waste on the construction site.

Minimising Waste on the Construction Site: Chapter 1 – Introduction____________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________  Unit of Competency: CPCCBC4021A 1

Questions - Introduction

1. What percentage of waste that goes into landfill is contributed by the building industry?A. 10%B. 20%C. 30%D. 40% E. 50% 

2. Name the 3 R’s of waste minimisationA. Decrease, reclaim, recoverB. Condense, cut, cycleC. Reduce, reuse, recycleD. Shrink, salvage, save

3. Why is the main reason that a business wants to reduce its impact on the environment?A. Improve its corporate imageB. Reduce costsC. Help the environmentD. Comply with government regulations 

Minimising Waste on the Construction Site: Chapter 1 – Introduction____________________________________________________________________________________________

Acknowledgements

Figure 1 BDP Environment Design Guide - TEC 1 - Waste Minimisation Source Reduction - Peter GrahamFigure 2 Your Home Technical Manual - Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency

Fourth Edition as amended published 2010Figure 3 www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au (now Sustainability Victoria)Figure 4 Planet Ark - Make Recycling Your Business - 2008

__________________________________________________________________________________________  Unit of Competency: CPCCBC4021A 2