Tags

A continual issue found on construction sites, from both an environmental and health and safety focus, is the use of traditional timber pallets for material delivery. These usually have a very limited lifespan, and after one delivery can very rarely be used as is again, requiring further manufacture to make them fit for use. Fire loading is also a common…

On this project they are implementing a site wide plastic reduction campaign. Within this campaign they are actively looking for new solutions to reduce the amount of plastic that ends in a landfill. On top of this, the site are carrying out a ‘get into construction’ scheme where they are involving local schools and colleges in their day to day…

The new installation of a stick-on stair protector benefits both the environment and safety of the workforce. Historically, the project used single-use, hard plastic nosing protectors on staircases. These were not durable and so would break easily on regular footfall in stair wells. This not only became a hazard due to the loose or broken ends but would also be…

The Considerate Constructors Scheme’s Plastics and Packaging Task Group have created a guidance document to be an additional resource of the ‘Spotlight on… plastics and packaging’ learning toolkit. This guidance document is intended to provide ‘quick wins’ in order to assist companies and construction sites in reducing their use of plastic and minimising plastic waste. The document provides ideas for…

It is estimated our industry disposes of 2 million plastic sealant cartridges each week in the UK. This contributes to a significant amount of single use plastic, in an industry which consumes nearly a quarter of all plastic. Alternative ‘foil sausages’ or ‘chubs’ are readily available for all sealant applications and can reduce waste by up to 95%. The benefits…

A significant amount of signage is used each year and typically this is made from a PVC plastic called Foamex. This project is now looking at using an alternative product for a majority of signs and boards. The alternative product called Akyprint is made from polypropylene. This is less harmful to the enviroment in its manufacture and is also more…

Everyone knows it’s important to stay hydrated, however it’s also important for the environment that we minimise our use of single use plastics, such as disposable water bottles. To balance these two needs on the Rochester Bridge Refurbishment Project, reusable branded plastic water bottles have been purchased for use by lead contractor FM Conway. The reusable water bottles were a…

The Mace team at GPE’s Hanover Square project introduced a PPE recycling service in partnership with Terracycle, to reduce single use plastics waste ending up in landfill. The boxes on site can recycle a range of products including earplugs, beard nets, hair nets, disposable gloves, safety glasses, disposable garments, shoe covers and masks. The items are safely collected on site…

In our normal process of work, we are regularly stripping small sections of UPVc coating off our lightning protection tapes and the method we use produces quite small slivers that could easily be picked up or even digested by birds and animals, as well as the more obvious creation of waste in working areas when left. To combat this, we…

The project team carried out an investigation into what items produced the highest amount of single-use plastic. Through this investigation it was identified that plastic cable ties used to hold scaffold guards and Heras fencing were one of the biggest issues. These have been replaced with reinforced and reusable fabric Velcro ties.

At Great Portland Estate’s Hanover Square project, the Mace team have implemented a closed loop recycling scheme for site signage. This initiative has meant that signage made from plastics that are traditionally disposed of via the waste and logistics contractor, are instead collected on site and returned to the supplier as part of a closed loop recycling scheme, meaning they are…

After being asked by several leading construction companies about the need for a reduction in single use plastic, Lee Brothers set about the usual challenge of reducing areas like plastic cups, packing etc. However, one area that stood out where they could make a considerable difference was around single use signage and how they dispose of it. After discussing with…

As part of delivering our corporate responsibility targets relating to community engagement on this project, we have partnered with a company called Mad Science to deliver an informative series of sustainability workshops to a local school. Mad Science’s Sustainability Lab workshop programme is much easier to teach, more engaging and is much less stressful than a mass field trip to…

As part of Mace’s Time to Act campaign to reduce single use plastics on site, the Hanover Square project team procured oxo-biodegradable overshoes rather than the widely used non-biodegradable overshoes. During fit-out and installation of permanent floor finishes, a significant number of overshoes can be used to access apartments or specific areas each day, creating a high volume of single-use…

We have started using a spray on window protection, which is more environmentally friendly than protecting glass with plastics and tape. It is easily applied with a roller or spray, and it protects window panes from plaster, mortar and paints. If you use a long handled roller, it reduces the need for working at height. But in times of being…