Disposal of construction waste can now be sub-contracted in the assurance of a recognised standard of sustainability. The standard, PAS 402: 2009 “Waste Resource Management”, was developed as part of the Green Compass scheme of Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW). So far ten Welsh firms (“Pathfinders”) have been accredited. Using one of these companies will provide builders not only with evidence in support of one or two of the credits in Was 2 of the Code, but also valuable data on their waste, which could be fed back into their Site Waste Management Plans.

Pathfinder companies are achieving recovery rates (i.e. the percentage of waste diverted from landfill) of around 83%. Landfill in is in short supply, and according to recent estimates the UK will run out by 2018, while in Wales as a whole it will only last until 2016, and in some areas only until 2013. So it’s not surprising that Wales is leading the way – this is the first scheme of its kind in the UK.

Waste is increasingly being seen as a resource (hence the title of the standard) as well as just a liability. It has been said that the average skip contains waste valued at £900. The Pathfinders operate by the Waste Hierarchy principle (reduce, re-use, recycle, recover energy, discard), reclaiming much of the material they handle. It is estimated that 200,000 tonnes of material was diverted from landfill during the nine-month pilot. Pathfinder companies now handle around 500,000 tonnes of waste a year. The scheme was officially launched in 2009, and Green Compass is seeking other waste management firms to join.

PAS 402 was developed by CEW working with BSI, WAG, the Environment Agency, Swansea Metropolitan University, BRE Wales and the Pathfinder companies. Accredited firms are inspected – and required to demonstrate performance in landfill diversion and materials recovery, as well as meeting requirements in operational control, staff competence and risk management.

As the biggest contributor to landfill, the construction industry can make the greatest difference.



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