The future of waste management and its impact on the environment was the focus at a meeting in London.
Redrow is a participating member of the Home Builders Federation (HBF) Waste Group, which was set up for housebuilders to share best practice and discuss ways to manage construction waste in a way that safeguards the environment and reduces costs for developers.
The group, which also includes representatives from Bellway, Bovis, Crest Nicholson, Taylor Wimpey, and Telford Homes, met in London last month.
The meeting kicked off with a group discussion around the various methods used to collect waste data.
At Redrow, waste data is collected by commercial teams, who receive waste reports from waste management companies on a monthly basis. Each division collates and submits their waste data to the Group Sustainability department, who monitor and analyse it at group level.
The Sustainability team provides each division with feedback on the amount of waste they produce each month, and how this compares to the group average.
Additionally, divisions are also informed of their monthly waste costings per equivalent unit, which helps to incentivise the Procurement Management Teams and provide healthy competition and attitudes towards Recycling and Waste Management.
The HBF Waste Group also discussed various resources available to housebuilders to support them in managing construction waste. This includes the BRE Smartwaste Tool, which enables companies to measure, report on and manage waste generated on their construction sites, whether these waste materials are retained, reused on site, or sent for recycling and processing.
Government updates
The meeting was also attended by Graham Winter from the Environment Agency, who informed the Group on legislative updates regarding waste - including the Government’s Resources and waste strategy for England.
Graham also explained the Draft London Plan waste provisions to the group. Of particular interest, the London plan requires all construction sites to have a Circular Economy Statement. A Circular Economy Statement should demonstrate:
At present, this plan is only in draft form and is only London specific. However, elements of the plan could well be rolled out nationwide in the future and it is important that we are aware of such changes within the industry.
Furthermore, it is vital for Redrow to continue working with other housebuilders to improve environmental performance on key topics such as waste, which has a significant environmental impact.
‘Tapping into best practice’
Kieran Walker, Technical Director of the HBF who hosted the meeting, highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach.
He said: “By attending the Waste Subgroup, Redrow are able to tap into best practice and information sharing UK wide as well as being able to showcase and demonstrate initiatives and innovation within the business. It is also a critical function for Redrow and others to be part of because in order to drive improvement and innovation within the sector it is vital this is undertaken with a united front of other developers with common goals.”
Olivia Ward, Sustainability Coordinator
