| Teaser Text | Current UK estimates suggest that construction and demolition activity produces around 1.75m tonnes of waste plasterboard per annum. However, with only 525 000 tonnes of recycling capacity available in the UK each year, a good proportion of waste plasterboard gypsum is not being recovered.
For the construction and demolition industry, disposal by landfill is a costly option that will only become more expensive with time. Traditionally, contractors could send gypsum products to a non-hazardous landfill, provided that the sulphate content of the waste was below 10 percent. But, in April 2009, the Environment Agency removed this “10 percent rule”, meaning that all gypsum waste must now be sent to specialist “monocell” landfill sites. Recycling has therefore become a distinctly more attractive option, from both a financial and environmental perspective.
Naturally it is imperative that end markets for recycled gypsum products match the growth of recycling levels. This is a key aim of the new Quality Protocol (QP) launched by the Waste Protocols Project – an Environment Agency and WRAP initiative.
At the heart of the new QP is establishing new end-of-waste criteria. When recycled gypsum is produced in line with the new QP, it is no longer deemed a waste material, but is recognised as a high quality product. Crucially, this removes the associated cost and administration involved in securing waste permits, which govern its production, transportation and application. This makes it easier for end markets such as agriculture and plasterboard manufacturers to use this important material. |
