Waste management best practices in construction: the key to improving time management, cost control and supplier qualification

1. reconomy.com
LEARNING LESSONS
FROM POOR WASTE MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION
Improve efficiency and productivity by understanding
and applying waste management best practices

2. reconomy.com
Even world class construction firms experience cost overruns
on their major construction projects. The total cost of building
and staging the 2012 Olympics, for example,
EXCEEDED ITS
ORIGINAL BUDGET
ALMOST FIVEFOLD.
Some cost excesses are unforeseeable and difficult to control,
as was the case with the Shard in London.

3. reconomy.com
Despite the project being praised as a ‘giant
logistical operation, run with military precision’,
IT EXCEEDED ITS
ORIGINAL BUDGET BY
243%.

4. reconomy.com
Costs were driven up in part by the switch to a fixed-price contract
from a construction management contract, the complexity of the
tower’s mechanical and electrical works, delays caused by bad
weather, and site access difficulties, where almost
A THIRD OF LORRIES
STRUGGLED TO ARRIVE ON TIME
due to London’s congested traffic.

5. reconomy.com
Yet in many cases construction cost overruns
can be avoided by eliminating inefficient
construction methods.
Waste management is just one area in
particular where by adopting sustainable waste
management practices, projects can make
significant improvements to their bottom line.

6. reconomy.com
IDENTIFY THE
TRUE COSTS OF
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
Assessing costs simply in terms of unit price will not reveal the true cost of
a waste management solution and will not lead to identifying areas where
savings can be made. The cost of a skip, for example, should not be calculated
only in terms of the hire price. Consideration should be given to:

7. reconomy.com
• How frequently the skip will be emptied and returned
• Whether the skip’s capacity is used effectively
• Whether waste is unnecessarily sent to landfill, incurring unnecessary landfill tax
• Segregating waste on site to maximise recycling and identify opportunities to
reuse materials
Factoring these issues into a waste management cost analysis may reveal that
savings could be made by hiring more skips and separating waste on-site.

8. reconomy.com
WASTE MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE:
Taking a holistic
view of costs
ultimately pays off.

9. reconomy.com
BE WARY OF THE
CHEAPEST WASTE
MANAGEMENT OPTION
Accepting the lowest bid from amongst waste management
providers could ultimately prove an expensive exercise. There may
be hidden costs in an attractive price.

10. reconomy.com
Choosing the most basic service means that
the business is alone when figuring out how
to optimise its waste management processes.
Without expert support, it is unlikely to arrive
at the most cost-effective solution.

11. reconomy.com
A supplier who can advise as to most recent
best practice and who can implement
practical programmes for maximising skip
capacity, materials reuse and recycling will
deliver savings in the long run.

12. reconomy.com
WASTE MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE:
Look beyond lowest
price to consider how a
quality service provider
can lower overall costs.

13. reconomy.com
THE COST OF BAD PR IN
CONSTRUCTION
The construction industry is responsible for producing one third
of the UK’s total waste every year – some 120 million tonnes. It is
estimated that 85% of this waste can be reduced, reused or recycled.
The Construction Recycling Alliance

14. reconomy.com
As the government, public, and clients demand
that the construction industry participates more
proactively in the circular economy, those firms who
fail to recycle and instead show flagrant disregard
for the environment risk serious consequences.

15. reconomy.com
The reputation of a major supermarket was dealt a serious
blow when a waste management sub-contractor was caught
illegally dumping tonnes of rubble and waste soil from its
new supermarket construction site into a business park. For
the construction contractor, the cost of such bad PR in terms
of damage done to the client relationship, industry standing
and potential lost business could be irreparable.

16. reconomy.com
WASTE MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE:
Ensure all suppliers can
demonstrate commitment
to Corporate Social
Responsibility through
transparent waste reporting.

17. reconomy.com
POOR TIME MANAGEMENT
IN CONSTRUCTION
Businesses ought to consider whether handling the complex administrative
responsibilities demanded by waste management in-house represents the best
use of their time and resources.

18. reconomy.com
Monitoring waste collection and delivery,
and ensuring compliance on legislative and
environmental issues, especially across
multiple sites results in excessive time
spent unproductively on administration.

19. reconomy.com
Streamlining the collection and reporting
of this data or partnering with a waste
management supplier who can provide this
service will lead to increased efficiency,
better performance and a reduction in costs.

20. reconomy.com
Businesses who service contracts outside their own
location have the additional pressure of qualifying
new suppliers, where new accounts must be set up
and the ability of the supplier to deliver on the
end-client’s sustainability demands established.

21. reconomy.com
Significant savings could be made, both
in terms of time and costs, by working
with a supplier who can tap into a
network of pre-qualified local suppliers.

22. reconomy.com
WASTE MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE:
Free up time and
resources by outsourcing
waste management
administration.

23. reconomy.com
TAKEAWAYS
Take a
comprehensive
view of waste
management
costs in order to
find savings.
Investigate
waste
management
solutions
thoroughly - the
cheapest could
prove to be more
expensive in the
long run.
Pre-qualify
outsourced
waste
management
providers
to weed out
illegitimate
operators and
protect company
reputation.
Partnering with
a quality waste
management
supplier can
improve
efficiency and
productivity, and
ultimately cut
costs.
Manage time
and resources
better by
partnering with
a supplier who
can significantly
reduce the
administrative
demands
of waste
management.

24. reconomy.com
Discover which waste management practices will
improve your bottom line by downloading:
UNDERSTANDING THE HIDDEN
COSTS OF INEFFECTIVE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EGUIDE NOW