Managing Waste Across Multiple Construction Sites – Mitigate the Risks with a 3rd Party Supplier

Discover how outsourcing construction site waste management could boost efficiency and improve your landfill diversion rates.Being responsible for waste management on construction sites spread across a wide geographical area can present many practical problems.Even if you set each site up with efficient waste management facilities, it will be impractical if not impossible for you to visit all of them on a regular enough basis to ensure everything is working as it should.To maximise the proportion of waste that’s reused and recycled, ideally you will prepare a site waste management plan and implement full on-site segregation, wherever there’s enough space. But ensuring all the workers on every site are fully aware of which types of waste to put where and fully on-board with the plan can be tricky.Cross contamination of waste streams could mean recyclable waste ends up going to landfill, incurring landfill tax and higher disposal charges. If the contaminant is hazardous and the waste still ends up going to landfill, you could be fined for improper treatment of hazardous waste. Remember that even paint tins and sealant tubes are classed as hazardous waste, even if they’re empty.How do you ensure the waste management on all the construction sites under your control is going to plan?Consider outsourcing your waste managementUsing a waste management company with national coverage can help to ease the pain – particularly when it comes to out-of-area contracting.A provider with a large team of experts in construction site waste management will be able to offer a high level of support, including:on-site training in effective waste segmentationregular site visits to check how things are progressingpractical advice on maximising reuse and recycling opportunitieshelp drawing up and maintaining a site waste management plan for new projectsa quick response service in case of emergenciesassistance with meeting BREEAM standards.Ideally they will also give you a holistic view of the waste management across all the sites under your control , with bespoke reporting as well as easy, online access to all the relevant documentation and data.Choosing your waste management supplier with careWhen looking for a waste management provider, obviously value for money will be a top consideration. That means not only offering good prices, but also helping each of your sites manage waste in the most effective way possible, with the most appropriate solutions.However, care should be taken in your supplier appointment and the right due diligence checks should be made. In January 2015, major household name in waste management was fined £110,000 and ordered to pay nearly £9,000 in legal costs after breaching the conditions of an environmental permit and failing to comply with an enforcement notice.Your duty of care lasts until the safe and legal disposal fo the waste your projects produce is completed – not just until you have passed your waste on to a licensed waste business. You need to satisfy yourself that the provider is properly carrying out its duty of care and handling your waste in compliance with all the relevant legislative requirements.It could be your company that falls foul of the law if your waste management provider lets you down, so take the time to choose well.Takeaways:When you’re responsible for managing several sites across a wide geographical area, overseeing effective waste management on all of them personally is virtually impossible.Outsourcing your waste management to an established national provider can help you mitigate some of the risks.Services like on-site training, waste segregation support and regular site inspections will help you keep control while freeing up your time.Access to all the relevant waste management documentation and statistics will help you monitor performance.However it’s crucial to select the right provider, to ensure that you will gain added value rather than extra risk.If you’re keen to outsource your waste management to a reliable and reputable provider, read our handy guide to assessing the effectiveness of a waste management supplier.