Unit 103 - Lesson 4

​Waste is created on every construction project. But it's how we deal with it which is important.

​Waste

​Bricks, blocks, timber and sheet material all come in standard sizes. ​

To save waste, houses are often designed so that the outside walls are equally dividable by the length of a brick. 
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Ceiling heights match the length of plasterboards and partitions are built to accommodate the width of plasterboards.

Timber is commercially available in increments of 300mm from 2.1m, so lengths can be ordered that reduces the amount of waste.

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​Planning when materials are required and estimating how much is required allows the ordering of materials in a phased delivery, which saves on storage and avoids potential damage and waste.

The correct storage of materials also reduces the likelihood of materials being damaged.

Using FIFO (First In First Out) with perishable materials such as Plaster, Cement, plasterboard etc. again will reduce waste.

​What are the waste actions that the SWMP covers? The waste hierarchy consists of four main methods of handling waste: 

Reuse – in other projects, or in another phase of the same project. 

Recycle – such as turning the results of demolition into recycled aggregate for use in roads. 

Recover – for example, recovery of mercury and other non-ferrous metals from end-of-life industrial sites, or the cleaning and re-selling of bricks during demolition. 

Dispose – to landfill, the final and least preferred option within any waste management hierarchy. 

​Timber: Should be placed in a timber-only skip where it can go to be recycled into sheet materials or, it unsuitable for repurposing, pulped to use as fuel in a biomass plant.

Metal: should again go into a metal-only skip so it can easily be sorted and recycled. Separating waste will reduce the amount going to landfill, saving money and landfill taxes.

​Plasterboard: needs to be disposed of separately, as if it is mixed with organic material and added to landfill it gives of hydrogen sulphide (H2S).  
This is a colourless gas that smells like rotten eggs and is extremely poisonous, corrosive and flammable.​

​Construction sites colour code they're skips to assist with the segregation of construction waste materials.

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