Tidy, safe and resource efficient.

Around 35% (by weight) of all construction waste going into landfill is from residential construction. Of this waste, the majority is from the construction of new buildings, with the remainder resulting from renovations.

Studies have shown that much construction waste can be cost effectively diverted from the landfill, using existing recycling outlets and based on current landfill costs*. (Financially, the rewards are mainly from the reduced landfill disposal costs rather than the selling of materials.) However, in domestic construction only small volumes of waste are generated usually, so the emphasis should be on the avoidance of wastes and the reuse of materials where possible.

Here are some effective tips for the homebuilder:

• Protect materials well on site from the weather, damage from other materials and theft.
  
• Keep the site tidy - this is especially important if space is tight
• Carefully estimate material needed to avoid overstocking (surplus material accounts for 14% of construction wastes)
• Sort timber, so that untreated scraps can be used for firewood.
• Make sure sub-contractors are responsible for the separation, stockpiling and removal of their own wastes.
• Re-use materials on site where-ever possible, or stockpiling them for use on future sites. Examples of this include:
  - timber-offcuts for dwangs/nogs
  - crushed masonry materials for fill material
  - topsoil for landscaping
  - green-waste for mulching
• Consider sorting the bulk recyclables into mini-bins for collection