Government and association partnership can help improve waste management, from the prevention and the reduction of waste to the recycling process. By providing assistance, Zero Waste Scotland has thus produced a guide to help parties reduce, separate construction waste collection and reuse the materials.

In a construction project, it is estimated that 13% of raw materials ordered are discarded unused. Most waste is produced on site through over-ordering, damaging materials, inadequate storage of materials and unnecessary packaging of construction materials with plastics and cardboard.

To help with the prevention and reduce of waste, the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland have partnered to develop the Resource Efficient Scotland programme. It helps organisations in the private, third and public by reducing energy, water and raw materials use and managing waste efficiently, through free advice, technical support and best practices sharing. Before the construction, Zero Waste Scotland intends to design out construction waste, with its guide covering the topic in detail, to minimize waste through procurement and to develop site waste management plans. During the process, Zero Waste Scotland reduces waste and reuses the materials.

The collection of construction and demolition wastes can generate income from gathering materials for re-use, reduce costs by purchasing less material, maximise space and reduce the amounts of accidents. It also brings environmental benefits such as the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of CO2 emissions, while increasing environmental performance and enriching corporate social responsibility.

Photo by Zero Waste NAC