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Collaborating with one of their suppliers, this contractor has developed a solution to the packaging waste being produced on construction projects. Ecopak is a modular system comprising inner and outer polypropylene packaging that can be reused multiple times, allowing for the packaging of mixed types of lighting product and comes with GPS tagging so products can be tracked digitally following…

As the Lillie Square project was evolving from superstructure and cladding towards utilising fit-out trades, the project held a ‘managing fit-out waste workshop’ with subcontractors. The purpose of the session was to help raise awareness about the importance of waste on the project and to also discuss ways in which waste could be reduced. The workshop covered a number of…

The site team have displayed a visual environmental community board to provide knowledge and awareness to the community and workforce on how long different materials take to biodegrade, with an aim to help protect and improve the local environment. This includes materials such as paper, cardboard, orange peel, chewing gum, plastic wrappers, cigarette buts, plastic bags, wet wipes, cans and…

Throughout any construction project, it is essential that contractors give careful consideration to how their work may be impacting on the natural environment. Reducing waste through re-use or recycling is vitally important. Sites should also consider other initiatives to avoid waste. Examples of how waste reduction has been achieved include: The site used a system of bulk paint containers; Paint was delivered…

This contractor is collecting offcuts of plastic pipe and ensuring these are sent off to be recycled by the manufacturer rather than going into skips, reducing the amount of site waste that ends up in landfill. The scheme means Polypipe Building Services drivers will drop off dedicated empty collapsible pallets to merchants they supply which can be filled with PVC…

Sites should be conscious of the impact their project is having on the environment. In order to limit the negative impact, the waste produced on site should be reduced and recycled. Measures to reduce waste should be identified and implemented on site. Below is an example of how sites have achieved this, using recyclable hoardings: Hoarding was constructed using a recyclable…

World Environment Day (WED) is the biggest, most globally celebrated day for positive environmental action coordinated by the United Nations (UN). The first WED was held in 1974 and was created to encourage worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. Each year, the theme and host country for WED is different, with the 2019 theme being air pollution and…

NetRegs is a partnership between the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). They provide free environmental guidance for small and medium-sized businesses throughout Northern Ireland and Scotland. NetRegs have also recently generated a series of e-learning tools on subjects such as: Duty of care Preventing pollution Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Renewable energy Sinks,…

The project is using drainage kerbs made from recycled waste polymers, packaging, freezer bags and single use plastic bottles. Using products made from recycled polymers ensures that a valuable resource is not sent to landfill or used as a fuel. A drainage kerb made from recycled waste polymers also has a lower carbon footprint than an equivalent concrete drainage kerb….

There are many different drivers to reducing and eliminating waste on construction projects. A simple way of reducing waste where possible, and significantly reducing the numbers of vehicles coming to and from site from waste removal is a compactor or baler. Cardboard and plastic waste being baled not only saves space on site, but reduces costs in skips and decreases…

This contractor has used biodegradable cable ties to further reduce the consumption of single use plastics onsite. These cable ties have been used in areas such as exclusion zones and in their debris netting on the scaffold. This has been particularly useful as cable ties are often disposed of in general waste which is often then converted to landfill. In…

By returning HDPE membrane off-cuts from site to Newton headquarters in Tonbridge via backloads, the material is then initially processed in-house. Working closely with the UK’s largest non-profit recycling organisation RECOUP in order to set up the necessary relationships with both a plastics reprocessor and an end-manufacturer who will use the recycled material. Newton is the first waterproofing materials supplier…

On this project there is a large amount of plastic water barriers (approximately 1.5km in length). Over time sections of this barrier became worn or damaged from vehicle strikes, handling etc. and becomes unfit for use – usually when it can no longer hold water. They gathered up quite a quantity of these end-of-life barriers and were looking at a…

This contractor has worked with Smile Plastics on their site in London. The start-up company uses recycled plastics only to create new items of furniture for the final completed project, with an agreement in place for Smile Plastics to create vanity units for the superloos on site. They have been successful in using a start-up company to provide 100% recycled…

This contractor booked a meeting room to hold a screening of the docu-film ‘A Plastic Ocean’. They had 15 attendees from the team who joined for a plastic free lunch and film, and received a reusable water bottle, mug and bag for attending and to help kick-off their actions and as a reminder of their commitment. This initiative can be…