Newsletter: Recycled content in construction

Sustainable construction for the housing sector

WRAP (Waste & Resources ActionProgramme) helps many public and privatesector organisations to be more sustainablein their approach to construction projects, byworking with exemplars on major housebuilding projects and providing a range offreely available tools and resources.

There is a fantastic opportunity for thehousing sector to demonstrate sustainabilitythrough the built environment and showleadership on sustainable procurement.

There are many ways this can be achieved,for example by designing out waste,improving site practice and recycling andreusing materials. Housing clients canensure good practice by setting requirementsin tender invitations and design briefs.Leading contractors have already shownthese requirements can be cost saving or atleast cost neutral.

An increasing number of organisations areintroducing performance requirements withinprocurement specifications. For example, theScottish Executive has asked all public bodiesin Scotland to set a minimum level ofrecycled content in tender specifications andcontracts for construction projects. Theminimum level is: at least 10% of the totalvalue of materials used on projects over £1mshould derive from recycled and reusedcontent. The Central ProcurementDirectorate in Northern Ireland has set asimilar benchmark. In both countries, thestandard applies to social housing, schools,roads and other public works.

In England, the new Code for SustainableHomes includes a mandatory element on sitewaste management, requiring builders tomeasure their own performance.

Case studies of both new build andrefurbishment projects show that therecycled content of a project can be increasedsignificantly by simple substitution within

common product types such as blocks,boards, concrete products and flooring –using alternative mainstream products whichhave a higher recycled content. Theseproducts are readily available at no extra costand satisfy technical standards. Recycledcontent can also be improved through themore traditional reprocessing of demolitionwaste.

Good practice can deliver a ten-fold increasein the tonnage of recovered materialspotentially diverted from landfill, andexperience has shown that the recycledcontent requirements can be readily includedin a wider set of sustainability criteria in aconstruction project.

Resources already developed and freelyavailable from WRAP include: � template wording to include in tender

invitations;� guidance on the wide range of

mainstream products with higherrecycled content on the market;

� a web-based toolkit for assessingrecycled content in new build,refurbishment and infrastructureworks; and

� case studies and reports with analysisof the potential for recycled content indesigns of housing.

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Scottish HousingThe ScottishExecutive’s requestto all public sectorbodies to setminimumrequirements forrecycled/reusedcontent applies toCommunitiesScotland andprojects that theyfund. This will actas a stimulus forhousing associationsto deliver moresustainable projects.

WRAP is continuing to work withCommunities Scotland to ensure there isinformation and resources available toScottish housing associations in order tomeet the Executive’s objectives.

Glamorgan & Gwent Housing Association(GGHA)The GGHA have commenced a programme ofconstruction of extra care housing projectsfor elderly residents requiring a higher levelof care. The projects typically consist oflarge, 3 or 4 storey brick-clad, timber-framedbuildings capable of housing 40-60 residents.

Although each building is designed as anextra care facility, it is not dissimilar in layoutto conventional flats. Each resident has theirown 1 or 2 bedroom unit which includes alounge, bathroom and kitchen, as well asaccess to communal rooms. Analysis ofdesigns and product options shows goodpotential for improvement with minimumeffort:

Redrow HomesRedrow participated with WRAP on a casestudy to demonstrate the potential for higherrecycled content in light steel frame housingby providing access to their ‘Debut’ range oflow-cost housing designs. The researchdemonstrated that steel frame houses have asignificantly higher base-level recycledcontent with less scope for improvement thanin other forms of construction. However,Redrow are now looking at how theirRenewables and Sustainability Policy canaccommodate targets for improvements inrecycled content across all projects inconsultation with their supply chain.

Raploch Urban Regeneration CompanyThe Raploch Regeneration Project is a £120million initiative to provide new housing, ahealth centre, urban design projects,community initiatives as well as training andemployment opportunities in the Stirlingarea.

It is proposed to construct approximately 800new houses by 2011/12 with a wide choice ofarchetype and tenure, with socially rentedand private housing situated side by side topromote an inclusive community.

The R3 consortium, which includes house-builder Wimpey, were the successful bidderson this project and are committed todelivering in excess of the 10% minimumrecycled content target set by the UrbanRegeneration Company.

The Northern Ireland Department for SocialDevelopment (DSD)The DSD has set procurement requirementsfor all social housing schemes that receiveHousing Association Grants or utiliseDisposal Proceeds Funds.

From 1st October 2007, all new build,rehabilitation and re-improvement schemesare required to take advice from WRAP inorder to meet an average overall target of10% recycle/re-use value of materials. Forprojects over £200k, the Association willrequire contractors to prepare a site wastemanagement plan prior to the start of workon site.

Sustainable construction for the housing sector

Who is taking action in the sustainableprocurement of housing?

Estimates for recycled content(as a % of the total value of materials used)

Base case 13%

Readily achievable using the top ten product substitutions at no extra materials cost 18%

Potential at no extra materials cost 21%

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Housing construction projects provideexcellent opportunities to optimise materialresource use, recycle and reuse wastearising on site. On average, between 60-80% of waste generated can be reused orrecycled representing a value of up to 5% ofa project’s cost.

Typically between 5-15% of materialsbrought onto site are never used. Furtherwastage can also result from, among otherthings, poor logistics and planning, includingdelivery, storage and handling of materialsleading to damage and also from off-cutsand design changes.

The use of large-scale off-site constructionhas the potential to reduce material wastageby between 70-90%. WRAP are developingtools and guidance to help improve logistics,the design process and materialprocurement.

Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs)SWMPs provide a framework to demonstratea responsible approach to the environment,promote waste reduction and the efficientmanagement and segregation of waste forrecycling. At present, SWMPs are voluntaryand are aimed at contractors and clients.However, SWMPs are planned to becomemandatory for most construction sites fromApril 2008 in England and Wales.

Specifically, SWMPs provide the opportunityto link on-site operations for wastemanagement with other stages of theconstruction process and embed wastereduction, materials reuse and recovery in acompany’s site procedures. Examplesinclude:� Identification of potential wastes and

opportunities to reduce.� Procurement – establish systems and

methods of procuring materials thatreduce waste and improve materialsrecovery and recycling through workingwith the supply chain.

� Contracts – requirements forsubcontractors and waste managementcontractors to reduce, re-use and recyclee.g. through segregation of wastematerials.

� Provide a framework for implementationof waste management procedures andtargets, on and off site.

WRAP have been working with the BRE andthe NHBC Foundation to develop a housing-specific suite of model requirements, clausesand guidance to help commissioning clients,house builders and their supply chainsimplement good and best practice wastemanagement through SWMPs.

Who is taking action?Bovis Lend Lease (BLL) and Wates Grouphave already been working on identifyingopportunities to improve waste managementpractices and have developed contractspecifications to facilitate this. WRAP workedwith BLL on two housing projects:

1. Timber-framed housing project In a £10m project constructing timber-framed homes to EcoHomes excellentstandard in East Midlands, BLL identified thatthey could achieve 86% overall recovery ofwaste materials at no extra cost. Threesignificant waste streams, by tonnage, weretimber, packaging and plastics.

2. High density housing projectAn 81% recovery of waste was achieved in a£20m high density residential development inCheltenham. Had good practice beenadopted, which would have involved anadditional 15% recovery of ceramics andpackaging as well as 10% for plastics, BLLcould have increased the overall wasterecovery by an additional 8% at no extra cost.

A guide to Quick Wins in waste recoveryalong with good practice guidance forSWMPs will be available shortly.

Sustainable construction for the housing sector

Minimising and managing waste onhousing projects

Benefits include:� demonstrating Corporate Social

Responsibility;� reduced disposal costs by waste

minimisation and increased materialsrecovery;

� reduced material costs by efficientdesign and reduced wastage on site;

� management of risks relating to wasteon site; and

� meeting the requirements of qualityand environmental managementsystems (e.g. ISO 14001).

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www.wrap.org.uk/construction

Waste & ResourcesAction Programme

The Old Academy21 Horse FairBanbury, OxonOX16 0AH

Tel: 01295 819 900Fax: 01295 819 911E-mail: info@wrap.org.uk

Helpline freephone0808 100 2040

Printed on 75% recycledcontent paper

Good practice guidesAdvice on site waste management, demolitionand recovery of waste materials, andguidance on ‘Quick Wins’ in using higherrecycled content.

Recycled materialsInformation on recycling and how to userecycled materials, particularly aggregates,the material most used in construction.

Procurement guidancePractical guidance on the procurementprocess, including model clauses toincorporate in project briefs, tender andcontract documentation.

Product informationA compendium of mainstream products withrecycled content commonly used inconstruction.

While steps have been taken to ensure its accuracy, WRAP cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss ordamage arising out of or in connection with information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. For more detail, please refer toour Terms & Conditions on our website: www.wrap.org.uk

Sustainable construction for the housing sector

How WRAP can help Case studiesA huge range of case studies demonstratingthe performance of recycled materials andwhat levels of recycled content are readilyachievable across various types ofconstruction.

ToolkitsWeb-based tools to help assess and meetproject requirements for recycled content,specify the use of recycled aggregates, andestimate the CO2 benefits of using recycledaggregates.

TrainingIn-house workshops and tutorials, providedselectively to projects and organisations thatinfluence major capital expenditure.

Support for businessesA range of business support targeted at theSME recycling sector, including management,expertise, investment and innovation.

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

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