Construction and demolition and WRAPP

Construction & demolition

A jackhammer operator removes recyclable material from a building being demolished.
See a full list and description of construction & demolition materials covered by WRAPP.

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste consists mostly of excavated material (soil and rock), concrete, bricks and masonry items, timber, plasterboard and packaging material. C&D wastes make up about 25% of the waste disposed of to landfill in NSW. In 2002 over 1.2 million tonnes of C&D wastes were disposed of in NSW.

Recycling of C&D wastes is on the increase in NSW. A huge range of materials is being recycled including soil, bricks, asphalt, concrete, timber, tiles and metal. The NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy in 2003 indicated that the industry recycles approximately 2.5 million tonnes or 70% of the total generated in the Sydney region.

The NSW government funds about a third of all construction activity in NSW including roads, schools and hospitals. During the past few years, the government has used its purchasing power (nearly $10 billion a year) to effect changes in industry practice by implementing policies to improve safety, contractual relationships, innovation and environmental performance. These policies are set out in the ‘Construct NSW’ strategy.

The WRAPP complements this strategy and targets a range of construction and demolition materials. For a full list and description of C&D material categories click here.

Buy

Consider using recycled content products and materials where possible. Check the performance of recycled content products to ensure they meet engineering specifications.
Tell suppliers that you want to use recycled content products where possible.
Accurately estimate the quantities of materials required for the job to avoid over-supply.
Engage a recovery contractor to remove recoverable materials from the site.
Avoid over-ordering and materials being damaged on-site, look for ‘just in time’ delivery options for all materials.
Return over-supplied quantities to the supplier.

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Use

Use building designs that minimise the generation of waste during construction and allow waste management facilities during the building’s operation. Incorporate these features in design stages.
When selecting a product or material consider the durability of materials and future cost savings of buying an item once but reusing it in a number of ways over the life of the building.
Use fixtures/materials in fit-outs that can be reused in later refurbishments.
Include clauses in contracts that discourages over-supply of materials and generation of waste.
Plan to use excess or waste materials effectively, for example:
identify which waste materials will be generated (eg concrete, timber, plasterboard, fill etc) and determine how they could be reused
coordinate use of materials between jobs – excess materials can be used on other sites if necessary
consider how excess or waste materials could be used if they become available eg. fill, drainage material, soil conditioners, framing, protective coverings, retaining walls etc.
advertise the availability of free recovered waste materials locally
maximise separation of wastes and minimise contamination of recoverable materials .
Work around land features to avoid unnecessary excavation, removal of vegetation cover etc.
Minimise the handling and transport of materials on and off-site.
Investigate local opportunities to recover and recycle waste products via local waste contractors, councils, other infrastructure projects, government agencies and councils etc.
Avoid unnecessary damage to new materials during delivery and storage.

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Recover

Develop and enforce a site waste management and recovery plan. The plan will vary depending on the size and type of job and should outline materials to be targeted, causes of waste, responsibilities, training, measuring performance and minimisation practices.
Coordinate and communicate the plan to site project managers, supervisors, workers and contractors.
Establish a specific area within the site for the storage and removal of different streams of recovered waste materials. It should be secure and access restricted to authorised personnel.
Ensure waste is separated into recoverable and non-recoverable streams. Also ensure new and undamaged recovered waste materials are kept separate.
Collect data and record the movement of waste and recovered waste materials on and off the site. Require contractors to supply this information as part of the contract.
Stockpile unused or waste materials for future use. Ensure stockpiles are well managed
Reuse off-cuts where possible.
Store off-cuts that are of a reasonable size and condition for use in smaller maintenance jobs.
Organise with suppliers pallet returns with follow on deliveries.
Consider using fly ash, the by-product from coal powered plants as a component of concrete to reduce the use of virgin materials.

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Remake

Mulch and reuse vegetation wastes in landscaping.
Crush large quantities of concrete, bricks and hard materials and use as roadbase, footings (if they meet the specification) retaining walls, drainage etc.
Broken pallets can be ‘cannibalised’ to repair others for reuse.
Break irreparable pallets up to use as fire wood.

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