WRAP works in partnership to encourage and enable businesses and consumers to be more efficient in their use of materials and recycle more things more often. This helps to minimise landfill, reduce carbon emissions and improve our environment.

Through WRAP’s work, by 2008 we believe that the construction industry will:

  • Divert 1.7m tonnes of construction waste from landfill (or avoid being extracted from primary sources)
  • Specify a requirement for waste minimisation, recycling and recycled content on projects valued at more than £10bn
  • Save more than £50m through site waste minimisation and recycling more waste.
  • To do this, WRAP is calling for the industry to achieve clear targets:
  • Halve construction waste to landfill by 2012
  • Set a minimum target of at least 10% of the materials value of a project from recycled and reused content.
WRAP can help reduce waste in construction and in doing so increase, profitability, performance, sustainable credentials, and customer loyalty.

WRAP is working with a wide range of forward-thinking organisations to make beneficial change that reduces the impact on the environment and creates far reaching operational benefits, including:

  • Policy makers
  • Construction clients
  • Construction supply chain
Wherever you operate in the construction cycle, WRAP is confident that it will be able to add value to the way you do business by helping identify and act on ways to reduce waste.

Pre-design/planning

  • Strategy and policy on waste management and recycled content
  • Sustainable procurement strategies
  • Working with supply chains
  • Project planning
Project design

  • Product specification
  • Using design to minimise waste in production and on site
  • Off-site manufacture
  • Packaging
Project delivery

  • Recovery and reuse of materials
  • Recycling strategies
  • Site waste management
  • Materials purchasing and management
  • Logistics
  • Setting targets and measuring performance
Returning materials into the cycle

  • Recycling process improvement
  • Capital funding for innovation in recycling
  • Investment in manufacturing using recovered materials

WRAP provides:

Good practice guides

Advice on site waste management, demolition and recover of waste materials, and guidance on “quick wins” in using higher recycled content.

Recycled materials

Information on recycling and how to use recycled materials, particularly aggregates, the material most used in construction.

Procurement guidance

Practical guidance on the procurement process, including model clauses to incorporate in project briefs, tender and contract documentation.

Product information

A compendium of mainstream products with recycled content commonly used in construction.

Case studies

A huge range of case studies demonstrating the performance of recycled materials and what levels of recycled content are readily achievable across various types of construction.

Toolkits

Web-based tools to help assess and meet project requirements for recycled content, specify the use of recycled aggregates, and estimate the CO2 benefits of using recycled aggregates.

Training

In-house workshops and tutorials, provided selectively to projects and organisations that influence major capital expenditure.

Support for businesses

A range of business support targeted at the SME recycling sector, including management, expertise, investment and innovation.

Postscript

To find out more about any of WRAP’s events, tools, guidance and support, contact WRAP’s construction team on 0808 100 2040 or visit www.wrap.org.uk/construction.

Reduce Reuse Recycle June 2007