MoreThanWaste.com - 'Off site' manufacture can reduce construction waste (23/03/2007)

" Off site manufacture has already been shown to provide a number of benefits to the construction industry, but we wanted to develop firm evidence that confirmed the potential benefits in terms of reducing the amount of waste the industry contributes to landfill"

Mervyn Jones, Construction Programme Manager for Waste Minimisation and Management at WRAP

A recent WRAP report says that using off site manufacture can help the construction industry reduce waste. The report, produced by AMA Research on behalf of WRAP, was to undertake a scoping study into the uptake of off site manufacture and where the opportunities lie for growth.

The research compared current off site manufacture waste levels with traditional methods.

According to AMA Research, off site manufacture already offers the construction industry benefits in terms of time and cost predictability, health and safety and skills. However, there is the potential to make a significant difference to the amount of waste the industry produces.

There are a number of large waste streams in traditional construction including:

packaging (up to 5%),
timber (up to 25%)
and plasterboard (up to 36%).

The report authors consider that up to a 90% reduction could be achieved by reducing wastes such as wood pallets, shrink wrap, cardboard, plasterboard, timber, concrete, bricks and cement through the use of an increased level of ‘off site’ manufacture and modern methods of construction.

Key ‘off site’ systems

There are a number of key ‘off site’ manufacture and modern methods of construction systems that offer significant opportunities to reduce waste levels on site, that have been identified in the report including:

volumetric modular;
prefabricated kitchens and bathrooms;
timber frame systems;
light steel frame systems;
structural insulated panels;
pre-cast concrete systems; and
tunnel form construction.

AMA Research also looked at a number of sectors identified as using relatively low levels of ‘off site’ manufactured materials including:

retail,
the NHS,
schools and
private housing.

Results were promising and showed that there is the potential to make substantial reductions of waste in these sectors. This is especially so currently with so many large-scale projects in progress.

Comments

Mervyn Jones, Construction Programme Manager for Waste Minimisation and Management at WRAP, commented:

“Off site manufacture has already been shown to provide a number of benefits to the construction industry, but we wanted to develop firm evidence that confirmed the potential benefits in terms of reducing the amount of waste the industry contributes to landfill.

“The results of the AMA work are very positive and clearly demonstrate the opportunity to reduce waste through the uptake of off site manufacture and modern methods of construction, especially in some of the UK’s landmark projects, such as the Olympics, Thames Gateway and in single or key worker living projects.

"Increased use of off site manufacture and modern methods of construction could help the industry take serious steps towards achieving the target of reducing waste to landfill by 50% by 2012.”

Decisions to use alternative construction methods to reduce waste can also form part of Site Waste Management Plans, which are expected to become mandatory in 2008, helping to demonstrate a contractor’s commitment to minimising waste at the outset of a project.

Further information

For further information on using off site manufacture to reduce waste, visit the WRAP website or call the WRAP helpline on 0808 100 2040.


	'Off site' manufacture can reduce construction waste (23/03/2007) " Off site manufacture has already been shown to provide a number of benefits to the construction industry, but we wanted to develop firm evidence that confirmed the potential benefits in terms of reducing the amount of waste the industry contributes to landfill" Mervyn Jones, Construction Programme Manager for Waste Minimisation and Management at WRAP A recent WRAP report says that using off site manufacture can help the construction industry reduce waste. The report, produced by AMA Research on behalf of WRAP, was to undertake a scoping study into the uptake of off site manufacture and where the opportunities lie for growth. The research compared current off site manufacture waste levels with traditional methods. According to AMA Research, off site manufacture already offers the construction industry benefits in terms of time and cost predictability, health and safety and skills. However, there is the potential to make a significant difference to the amount of waste the industry produces. There are a number of large waste streams in traditional construction including: packaging (up to 5%), timber (up to 25%) and plasterboard (up to 36%). The report authors consider that up to a 90% reduction could be achieved by reducing wastes such as wood pallets, shrink wrap, cardboard, plasterboard, timber, concrete, bricks and cement through the use of an increased level of ‘off site’ manufacture and modern methods of construction. Key ‘off site’ systems There are a number of key ‘off site’ manufacture and modern methods of construction systems that offer significant opportunities to reduce waste levels on site, that have been identified in the report including: volumetric modular; prefabricated kitchens and bathrooms; timber frame systems; light steel frame systems; structural insulated panels; pre-cast concrete systems; and tunnel form construction. AMA Research also looked at a number of sectors identified as using relatively low levels of ‘off site’ manufactured materials including: retail, the NHS, schools and private housing. Results were promising and showed that there is the potential to make substantial reductions of waste in these sectors. This is especially so currently with so many large-scale projects in progress. Comments Mervyn Jones, Construction Programme Manager for Waste Minimisation and Management at WRAP, commented: “Off site manufacture has already been shown to provide a number of benefits to the construction industry, but we wanted to develop firm evidence that confirmed the potential benefits in terms of reducing the amount of waste the industry contributes to landfill. “The results of the AMA work are very positive and clearly demonstrate the opportunity to reduce waste through the uptake of off site manufacture and modern methods of construction, especially in some of the UK’s landmark projects, such as the Olympics, Thames Gateway and in single or key worker living projects. "Increased use of off site manufacture and modern methods of construction could help the industry take serious steps towards achieving the target of reducing waste to landfill by 50% by 2012.” Decisions to use alternative construction methods to reduce waste can also form part of Site Waste Management Plans, which are expected to become mandatory in 2008, helping to demonstrate a contractor’s commitment to minimising waste at the outset of a project. Further information For further information on using off site manufacture to reduce waste, visit the WRAP website or call the WRAP helpline on 0808 100 2040.