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The Waste Management Plan – Planning for Construction Project Rubbish Re-use and Recycling

The Site Waste Management Plan, as utilized in lots of countries internationally, is a file that develops targets and programs for the disposal of solid waste produced by a company in a manner that satisfies regional requirements and is consistent with local and national solid waste management concerns.

Definition of a Construction Industry “Site Waste Management Plan”

Image shows the concept for The Waste Management Plan, ensuing best use of materials for reuse, and recycling.

“It details the project's waste management practices. Within the strategy, regional waste reduction goals are established, and as time goes on determine programs and policies required to meet them. The strategy also explains the techniques made use of to gather and deliver strong waste and recyclables to disposal and processing centers in an ecologically sound manner”. via Wikipedia.org

Waste management plans are guides for reducing, handling, and disposing of waste during construction, renovation, or land-clearing projects. Detailing all types of waste and their origins, the steps taken to lower the level of waste, and plans for removing and eliminating waste, these plans are often given to contractors or subcontractors and provide guidelines for keeping waste at a minimum. Because they are often required for larger projects, it is important to know how to write a waste management plan to account for all aspects of waste reduction and removal. via www.wikihow.com

Benefits of Site Waste Management Plans

A waste management plan serves as a comprehensive guide on how wastes can be reduced in every project, program or any undertaking. Doing this can reduce the risk of health issues and other concerns that arise whenever improper waste handling and disposal occurs.

A waste management plan allows stakeholders to be aware of their responsibilities. It is essential for all the stakeholders of the project to know how they will function from the handling of wastes up to the proper disposal of such. Waste management and organization can be easier if there is already a business plan that can serve as a reference to all entities involved in the project.

A waste management plan provides an idea about different kinds of wastes and how they can be managed to ensure minimal to no negative effect to stakeholders. Different types of wastes require different kinds of management strategies. Through a waste management plan, it will be faster for the project team to segregate the actual wastes that they have produced and accumulated depending on the kind of project that they are immersed in. You may also see project plan examples. via www.examples.com

How do you get started!

Plan for all the waste to be found on your construction site.

Creating a waste management plan is easy. You can start with a plan to set up different waste receptacles throughout your office, campus or facility, designed to separate and gather individual materials. Example: Set up three different bins in your office, one for trash, one for plastic bottles, one for cans and maybe even a fourth or fifth for cardboard and paper. Start with as few or as many you feel comfortable with.

You can buy these trash cans in different colors or color code them yourself for specific materials. Put up a sign that says “Recycling Center” and then write out what each can is for and what materials you can put in it, then describe why this is important to your company and what you will do with the materials once they have been accumulated.

Then create a document or “waste management plan” that's called “Office Waste” and outline exactly what we described above in the example. You've now just made your first waste management plan. Apply this to other areas and use the same process, whether it be a construction site or a school the same process will apply. via www.wastemanagementplan.com

For Best Results Leave Nothing Out!

Adopt integrated waste management policies and procedures for each and every waste stream. Track, measure, and report. Use newsletters, regular reports to leadership (a quarterly sustainability dashboard report card works well), e-blasts and other communication channels to keep staff and the community informed of your commitments and progress.

Build Best Practice Into Your Building Business Culture!

Train, educate, and celebrate. Users must be educated of the reasons for any changes, trained on work practice changes, and informed with ongoing feedback to how the action plan’s progress is meeting the goals. via www.sustainabilityroadmap.org

Specify who is responsible for managing waste on site.

Establish goals and objectives.

Estimate the waste types and amounts involved.

Using the estimates set targets for reducing the amount of each waste sent to landfill. Describe recycling/reuse methods for each material. Identify the waste destinations and transport modes, including what materials are being segregated on site for reuse or recycling. Track progress.

Describe special measures for material use and handling.Describe communication and training to support and encourage participation from everyone on site.

If applicable, describe the sequencing and methods for deconstruction projects. via www.branz.co.nz

Solid Waste Management Plan Regulations Update

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From 2013 and the repeal of the regulations surrounding SWMP preparation in England, no legal requirement for construction companies has not be in place. However, many construction companies continue to prepare SWMPs, and intend to continue.

While not required by regulation, SWMPs are still an excellent practice. Only minor adjustments were made to the SWMP templates by construction companies at the removal of this regulation. Updated SWMP production templates have been been available since early in 2014.

Until then, if you were associated with a construction or demolition job, in the UK, worth ₤ 300,000 or more, you had a legal duty to finish a Site Waste Management Plan. This is frequently abbreviated to “SWMP”.

If your building project was estimated to cost ₤ 500,000 or more, the requirements for SWMP provisions became more comprehensive within the regulations.

It remains that for the larger construction projects the attention to cost savings from efficient use of materials is even more crucial and with rising scale, the opportunities for savings become potentially larger.

For example hiring in equipment to crush concrete may only be marginally profitable on a smaller site due to the cost of transporting the equipment to site and setting it up, but such costs become more negligible as the size of the project increases.

Demolition waste management identifies procedures and products that can be re-cycled. It suggests ways of decreasing waste going to be dumped in a landfill. Building waste management plans determine procedures that can decrease waste and maximize re-use of waste items.


Next, you are very welcome to read our article on the Waste Management Companies UK – Top 20 List.

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