Statutory construction site waste management plans have been supported by 75% of businesses and local authorities who responded to a government consultation but concerns have been raised that small businesses responsible for flytipping may not be held to account.
The government is determined to drive down waste production and increase recycling and re-use. It is very good to have the backing of the industry as we move towards new Regulations
Joan Ruddock
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published the results of its industry opinion testing on plans to make site waste management plans (SWMPs) compulsory.
Site waste management plans would require construction firms to draw up plans detailing how they will reuse, dispose of or recycle waste, in a bid to tackle the 109 million tonnes of waste produced on construction sites in England and Wales each year. The idea is that the audit trail would reduce flytipping and increase accountability of contractors.
The consultation ran from April to July this year and outlined draft regulations to make SWMPs compulsory for all construction and demolition projects worth more than £250,000.
It outlines a number of problems and invited views for improving site waste management.
There were 151 responses including 46 from the construction industry, four from the waste industry and 48 from local authorities or those representing them.
Statutory
Three quarters of respondents supported making SWMPs statutory rather than continue the existing voluntary approach. One reason given for this by 25 respondents was that “the voluntary system does not work, especially in the case of small construction businesses, whereas many larger businesses are already applying a SWMP approach for their own commercial reasons”.
The issues addressed in the consultation included whether to make SWMPs a statutory requirement or to continue the existing voluntary approach and the minimum level at which a project should require a SWMP.
Defra's waste minister Joan Ruddock said: “This level of support for our proposals is very welcome. The government is determined to drive down waste production and increase recycling and re-use. It is very good to have the backing of the industry as we move towards new Regulations.”
Threshold
However, nearly 40% of respondents disputed the £250,000 threshold, project's would have to reach before being required to draw up SWMPs. Around 20% agreed with it, 22% thought it was too high, while 10% felt it was too low.
There was concern that excluding smaller projects in order to reduce burdens on
businesses would result in those most responsible for fly-tipping falling outside
the SWMP requirements.
A comment submitted by the London Borough of Islington stated: “The tension in the proposals is that, from a resource efficiency perspective, SWMPs will need to target construction projects that produce large quantities of waste yet the cause of the fly-tipping problem is cited as being from sub-contractors and self-employed builders.”
The vast majority of those who responded to a question on administrative burdens (68 out of 84) believed it would increase it but only eight felt it would increase significantly.
Some stakeholders estimated that drawing up SWMPs would amount to 30% of a project's total management costs and another said it would amount to three hours extra work per month – mainly paperwork – at a total of £1980 per project.
The views will be used to shape Defra's regulations on construction waste which are expected to come into force in England in 2008.
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