Reusable Overshoes

It is estimated that the amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is nearly 5 million tonnes, with the UK Government challenging this in their 25 year plan for the environment and the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy.

To play our part in combatting this current environmental issue, the Sisk Team on the Blossom Iron Project were challenged to develop an initiative which would have a positive impact on the environment. Processes were reviewed on the current apartment fit out during Residential Construction to determine the projected amount of waste generated and how this could be reduced. The key area we thought could be targeted, was protection of finished surfaces.

The team decided to introduce re-useable, washable overshoes which are to be worn by all members of the workforce in finished apartments. This would remove the requirement of blue plastic overshoes and, in conjunction with a strict management process, would significantly reduce the amount of floor protection required.

Initially this initiative was to create a positive impact on the Environment. However upon analysis, there were further added benefits of Quality within finished apartments, cost reduction and community approval:

• Quality has improved within finished apartments as all finishes are visible and not covered by protection. This is to give the project a clear change from construction site to finished product.
• Significant reduction of corex floor protection resulting in a 90% cost reduction.
• The reduction in floor protection will also result in 12,000m² of corex waste not being produced, and potentially ending up in landfill.