Construction Site Recycles 97 Percent Of Building Rubble
22 September 2011
A UK Power Networks construction site in Whitechapel has recycled 97 percent of building demolition rubble - equivalent to 967 lorry loads - during demolition in preparation for the construction of a new substation
The company, in partnership with its demolition contractors Erith Contractors Ltd, recycled 18,000 tonnes of waste.
Clive Steed, sustainability manager at UK Power Networks, said: "We believe in working with our contractors to try to minimise our environmental impact and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. While we cannot achieve this level of recycling with all our construction projects, this case highlights our commitment to sustainability and shows what can be achieved."
Stuart Accleton, associate director at Erith Contractors Ltd, said: "Targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with fuel costs, make using local recycling facilities beneficial environmentally and commercially. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and it has always been our business to make money out of other people's waste. With new technology, better equipment and higher volumes we are achieving greater returns on recycling and reuse than ever before.
"The level of landfill tax within the UK which currently stands at £56 per tonne, rising to £64 per tonne on April 1 2012, £72 per tonne on April 1 2013 and £80 per tonne on April 1, 2014. By using waste transfer stations that do not incur landfill tax we generate savings for the project."
The Site Waste Management Plan Regulations 2008 encourage recycling and the Landfill Tax has become a significant factor in encouraging companies to use transfer stations.
In February UK Power Networks announced that it had reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill sites from road excavations carried out by its maintenance contractors from 80 percent to three percent. It followed a major drive lasting four years by the company's streetworks department, working with local authorities, recycling plants and recycling agents to use top quality recycled materials to fill in excavations and ensure the condition of roads and pavements are maintained.
The final three percent consists mainly of contaminated materials, which cannot currently be recycled, which is also the case for the waste, which could not be recycled from the site in Whitechapel.
UK Power Networks delivers electricity to 8m homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England. The company is investing £360m in its networks this year as part of £1.8bn it plans to invest between 2010 and 2015 to keep power supplies secure.
Darrel Moore
