May 6 2009
In just six months, 100 leading organisations from across the construction supply chain have committed to WRAP's (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Halving Waste to Landfill voluntary agreement, indicating that resource efficiency remains a priority despite the recession.
With the construction sector currently wasting around £1.5 billion annually in unused materials and sending some 25 million tonnes of waste to landfill every year, the growing number of signatories suggests mounting recognition of the economic and environmental case for change.
"Confirmation in the Budget for 2009 that landfill tax will continue to increase year-on-year gives an added incentive to this collaborative effort to reduce the amount of construction waste sent to landfill," comments Nick Raynsford, Chair of the Strategic Forum for Construction. "The industry's response to WRAP's Halving Waste to Landfill commitment is encouraging and demonstrates a clear understanding that the cost savings that sustainable working can deliver are critical in a challenging economic climate."
Thames Water was the 100th company to sign up to The Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill. Alan Young, Waste Manager at Thames Water, says: "Committing to WRAP's Halving Waste to Landfill agreement is a natural step for us as we had already signed up to the WRAP Utilities Industry Agreement. We believe that halving waste to landfill by 2012 is readily achievable, and reaching this target is essential to avoiding materials wastage and costly landfill disposal. We look forward to working with WRAP further as we establish our own waste reduction targets, and measure and report on the progress we make." Thames Water joins the growing number of industry leaders - as exemplified by companies such as Crest Nicolson, Land Securities, Balfour Beatty and BAM Construct - and construction clients as diverse as Sainsbury's and Fife Council.
Marcus Gover, Director of Market Development at WRAP emphasised the importance of signatories now delivering against their commitment: "By launching this commitment in October 2008, WRAP created a framework to support the entire construction supply chain in reaping the significant economic and environmental benefits that come from increased waste reduction. Signing up is just the beginning - signatories are setting targets and reporting progress year on year. WRAP provides practical support to ensure that all signatories have the tools and support they need to deliver against the waste reduction targets - benchmarking, measurement and reporting are key."
Mike Peasland, Group MD at Balfour Beatty, added: "The business benefits that can be secured by reducing and recovering waste are considerable, and the environmental case for diverting waste from landfill is stronger than ever. At Balfour Beatty, we have been working to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill for some time - committing to WRAP's agreement is aligned to our sustainability strategy and will help us to focus our efforts and to work more closely with our customers and supply chain."
WRAP's voluntary agreement 'Halving Waste to Landfill' was developed in consultation with the industry and focuses on providing a robust framework for measurement and reporting on progress against targets to halve the amount of construction, demolition and excavation waste sent to landfill by 2012. WRAP has a key role to play in providing practical support and tools to help implement the agreement. Signatories to the agreement will benchmark, measure and report progress, enabling WRAP to produce annual performance data for the sector.