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An easy way to think about waste is to split
our waste into several categories. A tool that can
help us is called the "Waste Hierarchy".
(find out more about the Waste
Hierarchy from our Powerpoint
presentation)
The Waste Hierarchy divides waste into how we
get rid of them. The most preferred is "Reduce" and
the least is "Disposal" which
means landfill (not fly-tipping!).
Reduce is preferred because:
- it saves money - it costs money to get rid of
stuff and if we produce less waste, we need less
raw materials. So it saves money in 2 ways- in
ordering less and in getting rid of less.
- it makes the site safer - the HSE has found that
nearly 50% of construction site accidents came
from messy housekeeping and poorly organised workplaces.
Waste is a great contributor to mess and poor organisation.
Reduce waste- reduce hazards!
- it makes everyone feel better - seeing skip-loads
of waste is depressing!
- it safeguards the environment - reducing waste
means saving energy and reducing pollution as well
as reducing the burden on the world- you cannot
get better than this!
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"Recycle" isn't always
the best answer to waste management.
Try "Reduce" instead. |
After Reduce, we come to Reuse. We are already
reusing a lot of materials on the construction site,
many of the forms are reused and by being careful
when we cut plasterboard, we can reuse the off cuts
effectively in many instances. And of course, Reuse
saves money too!
Up to this point, we are saving money and reducing
or reusing of materials and resources. When we get
to Recovery, then things change- the waste moves outside
the construction site and no matter what happens
then, there will be additional costs and impacts
on the environment.
Recovery and Disposal -
basically all you need to know about this is that
you have to pay someone to do it usually. This means:
- someone has to set up a facility to handle your
rubbish - okay some construction work there, so
we may gain a little, but lots of materials and
energy are used
- someone has to come and collect it - transport
costs in fuels and vehicles, pollution and congestion
impacts
- someone has to transport it - ditto
- someone has to process it - it will need energy
to convert the rubbish into something else- that
leads to using additional resources and creating
pollution.
And guess what- someone has to pay for it too! (guess
who?)
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