Construction waste

Construction waste is estimated to make up 32% of the UK's waste (Defra). Netregs estimates that more than 10 million tonnes of construction materials are wasted each year in the UK, at a cost of £1.5 billion.

In the UK, any construction project costing over £300,000 requires a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP). See EiE's waste legislation pages for more details.

Although the majority of construction was is likely to be inert, simply disposing of construction waste does have environmental impacts as more resources need to be produced for future projects.

Reduce

SWMPs can be used to help reduce the amount of construction waste. See Netregs for more details on SWMPs.

- By making accurate predictions about the use of construction materials, initial costs can be saved, and tenders for contracts can be made more competitive.

Reuse

Unused construction materials can be offered to other businesses or contractors.

There are a number of reuse websites available to connect businesses with potential users of materials.

Eastex offers a reuse website in the east of England and the Yorkshire / Humberside region, with the aim to offer this service in more areas.

Recycle

Many construction materials may have a scrap value after they have been used. Even if recycling has a cost, this is likely to be lower than Visit EiE's other pages for information on specific materials:
Plastic
Metal
Aluminium
Wood

A number of general waste contractors will provide skips for construction waste. These companies will separate useful materials from materials for disposal after collection - meaning that the amount material sent to landfill is limited.

If you are a business or organisation that collects construction waste AND separates valuable materials post collection, please contact us to be included on this page.