The UK’s construction sector generates 62% of all of the nation’s waste, according to research by construction data driven insights specialist Qflow, with 32% of this waste going to landfill.
With Checkatrade also reporting that more than 100 million tonnes of materials is wasted each year in the industry, it is vital that tradespeople are doing what they can to reduce waste.
To help, this guide details the environmental waste regulations that tradespeople need to be aware of and then steps to take to reduce how much material is being used for a job. This includes how to apply the waste hierarchy guidance to practices:
Six waste regulations that you need to know
There is a lot of legislation tied to waste disposal in the UK, especially due to the nation’s public, businesses and government all needing to play a part to achieve the net zero carbon emissions target by 2050.
While the application of waste legislation is slightly different under the devolved governments (hazardous waste is known as ‘Special Waste’ in Scotland, for example), it is particularly important for tradespeople across the nation to be aware of these six regulations:
UK Waste Regulations
Brought in as part of an amendment to the EU Waste Framework Directive, UK Waste Regulations make it a requirement for people to keep recyclable materials like glass, paper and plastic separate from food and general waste.
Both sets of waste are collected at different times, in an effort to improve both the quantity and quality of recycling throughout the UK.
Recycling and Food Waste Legislation (upcoming changes)
This one is more of a heads up for tradespeople that from March 31st 2025, businesses across England will need to follow new food waste and recycling laws.
The enforced legislation will make it a requirement for businesses to separate their dry recycling from food waste, with the law stating that the rules will need to be followed by all “relevant non-domestic premises located in the area of an English waste collection authority”.
Here are the materials which will need segregated for recycling once the legislation comes into effect:
- Cartons used for drinks, food and other liquids
- Glass, including those which make up rinsed food jars and empty drinks bottles
- Metal, including those which are used to make empty aerosols, aluminium foil, trays, tubes, food tins and drink cans
- Paper and cardboard
- Plastic, including those which are used for making bottles and empty and rinsed food containers
- Food waste
Landfill Tax Regulations
With the introduction of Landfill Tax Regulations, levies were brought in as a means of discouraging people from using landfills and instead for them to consider alternatives like recycling and reusing materials wherever possible.
One way to achieve this is to look for local organisations and charities which will accept surplus construction materials. For instance, builder’s merchant Travis Perkins works with social enterprise Recipro to donate surplus and end of line stock.
In effect, tradespeople who introduce environmentally friendly waste management practices into their way of work can reduce disposal costs.
Pre-Treatment of Waste
Legislation that was brought in across Europe as part of the EU Landfill Directive, the Pre-Treatment of Waste regulation makes it a requirement for inert and non-hazardous waste to be treated before it can be disposed of.
All waste which fits this description must be treated by a biological, chemical, physical or thermal process, with the aim to increase waste recycling and recovery. The legislation also reduces the risk of landfills being filled with potentially polluting emissions.
Hazardous Waste Regulations
A replacement of the Special Waste Regulations (though these are still in place in Scotland currently), the Hazardous Waste Regulation covers the safe disposal of any hazardous waste or other material which contain characteristics or substances that can endanger environmental and human wellbeing.
These items all fall under this regulation and must be disposed of differently than just putting them into a bin:
- Aerosols
- Batteries
- Contaminated soils
- Fluorescent tubes
- Fridges
- Paint (including spray paint)
- PC monitors
- TVs
Waste Transfer Notes
A written Waste Transfer Note (WTN) must accompany any waste transfer that is carried out, as well as kept on record for a minimum of two years.
The GOV.UK website has access to WTNs, whereby details are provided about the description of the waste, the person in possession of the waste at the time of the form being filled out, the individual who will be collecting the waste and information about the transfer of waste.
A checklist for reducing waste
Tradespeople looking to make their work more sustainable are encouraged to follow these tips to reduce how much waste they accumulate on a construction site or during a project:
- Enhance the planning of a project so that only the exact amount of material which is needed to complete a job is ordered. A great way to do this is by using handy online trade calculators, such as the brick calculator created by Travis Perkins.
- Consider ways to reduce the overall environmental impact of a job. This could be by using cleaner alternatives to white spirit, as well as choosing biodegradable or reusable plastic dust sheets instead of single-use versions.
- Aim to order materials which can easily be reused. Bricks and concrete blocks, glass, wood, aggregates, plasterboard and gypsum are all excellent examples.
- Once materials have been delivered, weatherproof them with protective packaging and find storage solutions that will avoid them becoming damaged before use.
- Save on paper by setting up an online system for distributing items like invoices instead of traditional paperwork.
- Always consider if any material left over from a job can be reused or repurposed before disposing of it as waste.
It is also important to bear in mind the waste hierarchy guidance set out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Providing top priority to prevent waste from being created to start with, the guidance ranks options for waste management as follows:
- Stage one – Prevention (This step includes looking to use less material where possible, as well as aiming to keep products for longer and re-using them)
- Stage two – Preparing for re-use (This step encourages people to check, clean, repair and refurb items and spare parts where possible)
- Stage three – Recycling (This step advises on transforming waste into a new product or substance)
- Stage four – Other recovery (Gasification and pyrolysis which produce both energy and materials from waste, incineration with energy recovery, and anaerobic digestion are all part of this step)
- Stage five – Disposal (This step is where landfill and incineration without energy recovery is carried out)
