Construction waste disposal

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Waste classification 3 Insulation and asbestos materials 4 Concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics 5 Wood, glass and plastic 6 Bituminous mixtures, coal tar and tar 7 Metallic waste, including cable 8 Soil, contaminated soil, stones and dredging spoil 9 Gypsum 10 Cement 11 Paints and varnishes 12 Adhesives and sealants 13 Related articles on Designing Buildings 14 External resources

[edit] Introduction

Construction activities can generate large amounts of waste materials that then need to be disposed of. In addition, at the end of a building's life, it may be deconstructed or demolished, generating significant amounts of waste.

Increasingly, there are options available in terms of reusing and recycling materials, and reducing the amount of waste produced in the first place, but still a large amount of waste is disposed of in landfill.

The UK construction industry is the largest consumer of resources, requiring more than 400 million tonnes of material a year (ref. Davis Langdon). 32% of landfill waste comes from the construction and demolition of buildings and 13% of products delivered to construction sites are sent directly to landfill without being used (ref. Technology Strategy Board).

This can be an expensive process, as the 1996 Finance Act introduced a tax on waste disposal on all landfill sites registered in the UK. For more information see: Landfill tax.

A site waste management plan (SWMP) can be prepared describing how materials will be managed efficiently and disposed of legally during the construction of the works, and explaining how the re-use and recycling of materials will be maximised. This involves estimating how much of each type of waste is likely to be produced and the proportion of this that will be re-used or recycled on site, or removed from the site for re-use, recycling, recovery or disposal. This was a legal requirement until 2013, but whilst it is not longer required, it remains best practice.

[edit] Waste classification

Before sending waste for disposal, it should be sorted and classified to allow waste contractors to manage it effectively, and ensure that hazardous waste is properly handled.

The classification description should include:

• The waste classification code, also known as the List of Waste (LoW) code.
• Whether or not it is hazardous.
• The type of location and site where it was produced.
• The name of the substances.
• The process that produced the waste.
• A chemical and physical analysis of the waste.
• Any special problems, requirements or information related to the waste.

The tables below list waste codes for common construction and demolition waste.

(*) An asterisk at the end of a code means the waste is hazardous.

[edit] Insulation and asbestos materials

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Insulation containing asbestos	Hazardous	17-06-01*
Other insulation containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-06-03*
Other insulation materials	Non-hazardous	17-06-04
Other construction materials containing asbestos	Hazardous	17-06-05*

[edit] Concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics

This list excludes asbestos-containing materials - refer to the insulation and asbestos materials table for any waste with asbestos.

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Concrete	Non-hazardous	17-01-01
Bricks	Non-hazardous	17-01-02
Tiles and ceramics	Non-hazardous	17-01-03
Concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics (alone or in mixtures) containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-01-06*
Charmander	Non-hazardous	17-01-07

[edit] Wood, glass and plastic

This list excludes packaging wastes and domestic type recyclables - refer to the packaging section for related codes.

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Wood - untreated	Non-hazardous	17-02-01
Glass - uncontaminated	Non-hazardous	17-02-02
Plastic - excludes packaging waste	Non-hazardous	17-02-03
Treated wood, glass, plastic (alone or in mixtures) containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-02-04*

[edit] Bituminous mixtures, coal tar and tar

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Bituminous mixtures containing coal tar	Hazardous	17-03-01*
Other bituminous mixtures	Non-hazardous	17-03-02
Coal tar and tarred products	Hazardous	17-03-03*

[edit] Metallic waste, including cable

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Copper, bronze and brass	Non-hazardous	17-04-01
Aluminium	Non-hazardous	17-04-02
Lead	Non-hazardous	17-04-03
Iron and steel	Non-hazardous	17-04-05
Tin	Non-hazardous	17-04-06
Mixed metals	Non-hazardous	17-04-07
Metals containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-04-09*
Cables containing oil, coal tar and other hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-04-10*
Other cables	Non-hazardous	17-04-11

[edit] Soil, contaminated soil, stones and dredging spoil

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Soil and stones containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-05-03*
Other soil and stones	Non-hazardous	17-05-04
Dredging spoil containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-05-05*
Other dredging spoil	Non-hazardous	17-05-06

[edit] Gypsum

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Gypsum materials containing hazardous substances	Hazardous	17-08-01*
Other gypsum materials	Non-hazardous	17-08-02

[edit] Cement

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Un-used or un-set cement	Hazardous	17-09-03*

[edit] Paints and varnishes

Paints and varnishes of a type normally used by householders can be classified under the codes indicated in brackets if separated out from other waste.

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances	Hazardous	08-01-11* (20-01-27*)
Not containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances	Non-hazardous	08-01-12 (20-01-28)
Paint or varnish remover	Hazardous	08-01-21*
Paint cans	Hazardous

[edit] Adhesives and sealants

Adhesives and sealants of a type normally used by householders can be classified under the codes indicated in brackets if separated out from other waste.

WASTE TYPE	WASTE STATUS	WASTE CODE
Containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances	Hazardous	08-04-09* (20-01-27*)
Not containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances	Non-hazardous	08-04-10 (20-01-28)
Adhesive or sealant containers	Hazardous

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Circular economy.
• Construction skip.
• Construction waste.
• COSHH.
• Design for deconstruction.
• End of life potential.
• Fly-tipping.
• Getting a skip hire permit.
• Grab hire lorry.
• Hazardous substances.
• Landfill.
• Landfill tax.
• Materials Management Plan (MMP).
• Quantification of construction materials in existing buildings (material intensity).
• ReCon Soil project.
• Recyclable construction materials.
• Recycling.
• Site clearance.
• Site waste management plan.
• Site Waste Management Plans – A Necessary Burden.
• Waste and Resources Action Programme WRAP.
• Wishcycling.

[edit] External resources

• Gov.uk - Construction and demolition waste