The company has put pen to paper with waste management firm Hippowaste to use the “Hippobag” waste removal and disposal service for a major construction project in Sandwell in the West Midlands.
 Ben Clark and Robin Bayley from Hippowaste with Steve Morgan, construction manager at Wates Living Space, celebrating their new partnership |
The development, part of the government's Decent Homes initiative, will see Hippowaste using a nearby licensed waste transfer station, operated by local firm AWM Group.
Material from the disposal of kitchens and bathrooms being replaced within homes in the Sandwell area will be taken to the station for analysis before being recycled or reused.
Wates project manager Cressida Eccleston said: “As a company we recognise that the best way to tackle the horrendous construction waste problem in the UK is to work in partnership with forward-thinking waste management firms.
“Hippowaste is a leading light through its proactive approach to championing the pro-recycling cause and both Hippo and AWM have demonstrated enthusiasm to partner with Wates on our ambitious Target Zero campaign,” she added.
Ben Clark, head of performance improvement at Hippowaste, said: “We are delighted to be working with Wates Group on this exciting initiative which could mark a significant transformation in how the construction industry thinks about waste. Hippowaste is committed to practicing and promoting ethical and responsible conduct and is already helping many companies contribute to sustainable development goals.”
Challenges
Surrey-based Wates Group announced in July that it wanted to become an industry leader in reducing its environmental impact through the reduction of its landfill needs (see letsrecycle.com story). The 650m turnover company generates about 70,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste every year that had been sent to landfill.
Ms Eccleston said the company was expecting some “significant challenges and obstacles” in its bid to reach the zero target, but hoped to inspire other companies in the construction sector in its plan.
“The construction and demolition industry creates three times more waste than all 21 million households in the UK put together with 36.2 million tonnes sent to landfill every year,” Ms Eccleston said.
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The company has set targets to reduce its landfill rate to 40% of non-hazardous waste in 2006, 30% in 2007, 18% in 2008 and 9% in 2009. It is aiming for a zero landfill rate for non-hazardous waste by 2010.
The company has already been running recycling pilot programmes, and its Midlands regional operation is already reaching an 87% recycling rate.
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