WASTE MANAGEMENT
approach. But the reason behind it goes deeper. “We don’t ever want to be the company that has its branding on some bit of waste discovered in the wrong place. It’s really important to us from a reputational perspective, but also about how we can contribute towards
whether they should separate waste on site or send it as mixed waste. And do they have confidence in their waste management partner that they are doing the separation properly?” It takes time and a genuine interest in the whole process, MacCuish explains. “We wouldn’t know about it if we weren’t trying to educate ourselves. I don’t think there’s enough education out there in terms of how waste is separated.”
“It’s not just about getting rid of the waste. It’s how it’s repurposed because all waste can be repurposed and recycled”
environmental sustainability.
“It’s not just about getting rid of the waste. It’s how it’s repurposed because all waste can be repurposed and recycled.” In addition to the cost of effective waste management, MacCuish points to other challenges making it difficult for businesses to excel in this area.
The right partner A part of this education piece comes down to researching potential waste management partners. MacCuish advises members to visit the plants of
Sam MacCuish
potential partners to understand their approach and determine how sophisticated their methods are. Construction businesses should seek evidence of the type of service they will receive from waste management partners. “Service is really important to get right,” MacCuish says. “We need to be able to call our waste management company and have them out within 24 hours. “If they don’t come out within that time, it could become a problem very quickly. You could have segregated waste, for example, then all of a sudden, you’ve not had a skip change and your guys are then just using any old skip to put stuff in or things are getting put to the side and it can cause chaos. So service is really important in terms of what that company can offer you.” Most importantly, perhaps, is MacCuish’s advice to avoid creating waste in the first place – except where it is absolutely necessary to do so. “Keep materials from other projects. They might take up space, but they could prove useful in the future.”
Educational challenges “Educating your team to understand the importance of waste separation is one part,” she says. “But so too is understanding whether waste separation is the most economical thing to do on a particular project.” MacCuish, who works with waste management partner WRC Recycling, says the type of waste class often determines whether separation of waste materials is the most cost- effective approach. “We’re learning all the time and going out to these sites like WRC’s. We see the technology they have to separate waste and there’s a kind of misunderstanding out there that everything has to be put in separate buckets and skips to make it more cost effective. That’s not the case. “They have invested in super high- tech infrastructure that filters out all of the waste. It can come to them as a mixed waste and they can filter it all out. So one of the challenges for businesses is trying to determine
“it could be a good chunk of the profit they’re making”. “Nobody wants to lose money so all of a sudden the sustainability agenda disappears and it’s just, ‘Let’s get the waste off site.’ That’s not to say anyone would do anything illegal, they just wouldn’t be managing the waste in a sustainable way. “We make clients aware of that cost at the outset and if they decide to go with us then great. If they decide not to go with us because we’re too expensive, well, that’s just life, but we’re really honest and open with them about the waste element and our management of that.” Currently, the cost of sustainable waste management means Lilium Homes does not turn a profit on its
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