The big problem of building waste and how to tackle it

If you have been involved in any sort of construction project recently, then you will be familiar with all the complaints about the soaring price of building materials.

A surge in demand for building, combined with supply constraints - blamed on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic - have sent prices for timber, cement and other essential supplies shooting higher.

But builders and their clients have little choice but to pay up if they want to get the job done.

"You have to make sure you've got enough, and you have to have a bit extra, in case something goes wrong or for whatever reason," says Joanna Spencer, manager of building firm R&J Construction Services.

One positive result is that the tighter supplies have made the industry reflect more carefully on how they use, and discard, their materials.

The construction industry produces a huge amount of waste - indeed, construction, demolition and excavation accounted for an astonishing 62% of the UK's total waste in 2018, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

And a large portion of construction waste is not recyclable.

"When I speak to my members, they make a real effort to put waste in the right place, but products could be more eco-friendly," says Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning policy at the National Federation of Builders.

And, he adds: "If you look at how a local authority recycles, often they burn things rather than recycling, so the industry needs a more strategic approach to waste."

Read more https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57899572