‘Site Waste Management Plans’ (SWMPs) come into force on 6th April but they are being left to contractors, warns Buro Happold waste expert.
Legislation requiring clients to prepare SWMPs on all construction projects in England valued over £300,000 comes into force next month and will be implemented from 1st July.
The plans are aimed at increasing the ‘recovery’ (reuse and recycling) of construction waste and cutting the volume of waste disposed as well as ‘waste crime’ – fly-tipping and illegal disposal.
By creating new project-wide waste management frameworks it is hoped that the legislation will reduce the three million tonnes of unused building materials disposed of as waste every year in the UK. Together with recent increases in landfill tax, SWMPs could make a major impact in cutting construction waste.
However, according to James Hobson, waste management consultant in Buro Happold’s Environment Group, architects and designers are mistaken in assuming that the creation of SWMPs will be the responsibility of contractors – when SWMPs should actually be addressed initially at the planning and project conception stages.
James comments: “Historically a type of SWMP has been used voluntarily by some of the larger contractors to cut waste disposal costs. Some major clients and local authorities have also requested plans to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development – and plans have also sometimes been a planning condition.
“This means that the current focus is on reducing waste during construction itself and there is a widespread misconception that mandatory SWMPs will be the responsibility of contractors.
“The lack of awareness of SWMPs amongst architects and development teams could hinder one of the fundamental objectives of the new legislation – to ‘design out waste’ – as well as the consideration of impacts on waste resulting from design and specification changes.”
Based on his practical experience in the development of SWMPs for construction schemes and advice on waste management strategies at scheme design stage, James is now heading the Buro Happold team which will plan and manage SWMPs – in addition to existing work on project-wide sustainable waste strategies for developments at operational stage.
James concludes: “Waste management is not an optional extra in the design process – it’s central to the planning, design and construction of sustainable developments.”
Ends
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Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. We now employ over 1,700 staff in 21 offices worldwide. Our aim is to produce high quality engineering design in concept, in detail and in execution, on time, to programme and delivering excellent value for money. Our distinctive culture and ethos is still based on the same principles of care, value and elegance that were established when the practice was founded.
We offer structural, building services, civil, infrastructure and façade engineering, as well as a broad range of specialist consultancy services including sustainability, ground and environmental engineering, fire and security design, health and safety management, inclusive and urban design, project management, and specialist CAD and computer simulation provision.
