There are many definitions, as with any new buzz term, people queue
up to add their defi nition in order to gain their fi ve minutes of fame!
In reality, it would appear to mean different things to different people
in different parts of the world, depending on their circumstances.
Consequently, there may never be a consensus view on its exact
meaning. However, one way of looking at sustainability is ‘ The ways
in which built assets are procured and erected, used and operated,
maintained and repaired, modernised and rehabilitated and reused
or demolished and recycled constitutes the complete life cycle of sustainable
construction activities.’
Why is construction signifi cant in the sustainability big picture?
• Over 90 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste arises
annually in the UK alone
• The construction industry spends over £200 million on landfi ll tax
each year
• 13 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste is material
that is delivered to sites but never used!
• Over 5 million tonnes of hazardous waste is produced in England
and Wales, 21% of which is produced by construction and
demolition
• Construction and demolition waste form nearly 30% of all Environment
Agency recorded fly tipping incidents
• In addition, around 40% of total energy consumption and greenhouse
gas emissions are directly attributable to constructing and
operating buildings.
Although high on the face of it, the true cost of waste is generally
around 20 times that of the costs due to the following:
• Purchase cost of materials
• Cost of storage, transport and disposal of waste
• Loss of income from selling salvaged materials.
The so-called waste hierarchy has been described as follows:
• Eliminate – avoid producing waste in the fi rst place
• Reduce – minimise the amount of waste you produce
• Re-use – use items as many times as possible
• Recover (recycling, composting, energy) – recycle what you can
only after you have re-used it
• Dispose – dispose of what is left in a responsible way.
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