5 Tips on How to Reduce Construction Waste

Posted 3 months ago

Construction waste is an inevitable part of any construction project, but it is important that every construction site thinks about how to reduce construction waste as part of its sustainability efforts. Construction waste can include anything from surplus materials due to over-ordering to waste from demolition and deconstruction. 

Every construction site should have a system in place to work on minimising construction waste and ensuring as little waste goes into landfill as possible. Not only is it better for the environment, but it can also save you money.

This article will give you five top sustainable waste management strategies on how to reduce waste in construction. 

1. Order materials efficiently 

One of the most important sustainable waste management strategies is to make sure you order your supplies efficiently. There are various ways you can improve your ordering efficiency, these include:

• Plan ahead with a detailed procurement schedule: Prevent making any last-minute orders by creating a procurement list ahead of time. This can help you secure better pricing and avoid any costly delays.
• Use digital tools: Invest in construction management software to help you track your material usage, stock levels to help you make orders on time.

• Create an ordering process: To save mistakes and errors in the ordering process, delegate one member of your team to manage all orders.

By adopting these strategies, your construction site can prevent errors and reduce the amount of construction waste. 

2. Recycle materials

When it comes to dealing with excess waste on a construction site, one of the best ways you can deal with it is through recycling excess materials. By reusing waste materials generated on site on new projects, you are saving money and being more sustainable. 

To make it easier for your construction site to recycle items, make sure you have bins and storage containers available to store any excess materials or recycle any damaged supplies. 

3. Use a skip hire service

When working on big construction projects, it can be difficult to keep up with waste management. Using a skip hire service is a great way to help construction sites manage, identify and sort their waste ready for recycling or disposal. Hurleys Skip Hire has over 40 years of experience in sustainable waste management and can help your construction site to efficiently manage waste.

4. Implement a waste management plan

When it comes to figuring out how to reduce waste in construction, implementing a waste management plan can be one of the most effective ways to achieve this. A waste management plan should help you to identify responsibilities and organise excess construction waste. Here are some of the most important sections that should be included in your waste management plan:

• List of expected waste types on site
• Plans to reduce and prevent waste
• Methods for waste segregation and storage
• Assigned responsibilities for waste management
• Records of waste disposal and recycling

By implementing a waste management plan, you can help to manage and reduce the amount of construction waste that is produced, helping you to be more sustainable and save money in the long run. 

5. Choose sustainable materials and suppliers

Estimating materials and supplies for a construction project is not an easy task, especially when problems can arise, delays can occur, and mistakes can be made. A great sustainable waste management strategy for construction sites is working with sustainable suppliers to adopt a more efficient ordering process. Some suppliers will let you send back any unused supplies, which can prevent your project from any delays by ordering enough supplies, but also save money by reducing the amount of waste. 

Using sustainable materials is also a great way to reduce waste because these items can more easily be recycled and reused. 

If you’re undertaking a large construction project, we recommend using a builder’s skip to keep your site organised. Our team of expert skip hire professionals is here to help you choose the best skip for your project.

At Hurleys Skip Hire, we’re here to support you with professional, reliable skip hire for construction waste. Need help getting started? Contact us today, and we’ll help ensure you recycle as much waste as possible.

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