blog.peterfagerstrom.net

the U.K. based programme WRAP (Waste and Rescources Action Programme) published a report in the spring of 2007 with the findings that prefabricated buildings could cut construction waste by a staggering 90%! by increasing the use of off site manufacture and modern methods of construction. this is adding to the cost and time predictability as well as health and safety benefits construction companies already count on with prefabrication.

The biggest parts of the waste flows from a construction site are plasterboard <36%, timber <25% and packaging <%5 (wood pallets, shrink wrap, cardboard)  as well as concrete, bricks and cement.

Since march this year (2007) there has been an Industry agreement in place in the U.K to increaase the recycling of Gypsum from plasterboards.

The targets of the agreement being: (form the WRAP website)

• to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill from manufacturing operations in Great Britain to 10,000 tonnes/year by 2010; and
• to increase the take back and recycling of plasterboard waste, for use in plasterboard manufacture, to 50% of new construction waste arisings by 2010.

In addition, all parties have agreed to work with other parts of the supply chain to develop processes to reduce the amount of wastage generated in new construction and to make further progress towards achieving the ultimate objective of zero plasterboard waste to landfill.

In 2006 about 2.5 million tonnes of plasterboard was used in the U.K of this about 300.000 tonnes ended up as waste. which accounts for about 12%! reducing this to 10.000 tonnes would take it down to 0,4% or save up to 290.000 tonnes of material! reducing the amount of waste by a factor of 30 for plasterboard.