Leading companies commit to halve waste to landfill

16.03.09

Leading companies across the construction supply chain have committed to halving the amount of construction waste sent to landfill by 2012. Over thirty organisations have signed up to WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) voluntary agreement - including leading contractors, Land Securities and Defence Estates.

Reducing construction waste is a key focus for the construction industry. In a recent survey undertaken by WRAP, 90% of those questioned stressed that it is a still high priority despite fears that the economic climate will stall 'green' projects as companies become more concerned with the bottom line.

ASDA - the first major retailer to sign up to the commitment commented:

"By making a concrete pledge to send zero construction waste to landfill from both our store and depot operations by the end of 2010, we’re pioneering a cleaner, smarter way of working. By auditing exactly what materials are needed for each building project and segregating any waste that's produced so that it can be reused or recycled, we're expecting to save more than £1m a year, and divert 12,000 tonnes from landfill annually.” Barry Springgay, Construction Director at ASDA

It has also been revealed that more than half of the companies surveyed are considering setting their own company waste reduction targets, which will exceed the collective national benchmark of halving waste to landfill by 2012.

The agreement comes at a time when the economic argument for waste reduction is growing stronger as Liz Goodwin, Chief Executive of WRAP, explains: “Waste by its very definition is a missed opportunity - the true cost of waste is over 10 times higher than the cost of disposal, once the value of the wasted materials is taken into account.

“The uptake of the voluntary agreement is a positive indication of the industry’s dedication to reducing waste and it’s very encouraging to see such a positive response so soon after its launch."

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