Construction firms urged to take up waste reduction tool

CONSTRUCTION firms are being urged to take up an on-site software tool, to help understand and reduce the amount of waste they might be creating.

The tool – called the Site Waste Reduction Protocol – has been launched by the non-governmental agency, Zero Waste Scotland, which claims that 50 per cent of Scotland’s waste comes from “construction-related activities”.

Says Zero Waste Scotland, here: “There are sound business reasons for addressing waste, beyond environmental responsibility. The cost of materials is soaring. Material scarcity is becoming more common in a volatile global market. So, keeping waste to a minimum allows you to do more with less, maximising profit and reducing your emissions at the same time.”

The tool is in two parts, and is supported by a spreadsheet: (1) measuring and (2) calculating the cost of the waste, showing where there are possible savings.

Continues Zero Waste Scotland: “The Site Waste Reduction Protocol is a set of rules… to help you measure site waste in a standardised way, so you can get a consistent and comprehensive picture of how much waste is being produced across all of your construction sites. It will ensure you measure waste in the same way across all sites so you can benchmark effectively and see where good practice is having an impact.”

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland