Insulation Express has looked into ways that the construction industry can reduce the amount of plastic it wastes every year.
The construction industry accounts for almost a quarter of the plastic consumed in the UK and, every year, 40 per cent of this plastic is sent to landfill.
Every year, 50,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste is created by the construction sector, and the vast majority of this is single-use packaging that is sent to landfill/
While the durability of plastic is its key benefit, it’s also a negative when you consider it can take up to 1000 years to decompose
Reducing your plastic waste can be a financial benefit, too. One contractor, Risby Homes saved £13,000 on a 25-home development project – simply by reducing, reusing and recycling their plastic waste.
With that in mind, here are five ways to reduce plastic waste in construction:
- A huge proportion of packaging thrown away can often be reused. Talk to your supplier to see if they can reduce their packaging, or take back the packaging to recycle yourself.
- Try and order your productions in bulk or larger packs. This will cut the volume of packaging per item, and reduce the need for multiple polypropylene bags.
- Use reusable plastic boxes to place and protect materials – before returning the boxes to the supplier.
- For the plastic packaging that can’t be recycled, send it to a licensed Waste Management Contractor. They are best placed to decide their destination.
- Use large sheets of plastic sheeting that arrived as wrapping for use on site as weather protection.
What do you do to reduce your reliance on plastic? Let us know on Twitter by tagging @PB_mag
