Asda signs up to waste agreement

The Government-backed Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) launched the voluntary agreement, Halving Waste to Landfill, in October.

Devised in consultation with the construction industry, it provides a framework for measuring and reporting on progress against targets to reduce waste to landfill. Signatories to the agreement have to benchmark, measure and report progress, enabling WRAP to produce annual performance data for the sector.

Barry Springgay, Construction director at ASDA said, the retailer expected to save more than £1 million a year, and divert 12,000 tonnes from landfill annually, by signing up to the commitment.

“By making a concrete pledge to send zero construction waste to landfill from both our store and depot operations by the end of 2010, we’re pioneering a cleaner, smarter way of working,” he said.

In all, over 30 organisations across the construction supply chain have signed up to the pledge to date. They include Land Securities, Defence Estates, Laing O’Rourke, Berkeley Group, Bovis Lend Lease, Stanhope, Defence Estates, SEGRO and Willmott Dixon.

According to WRAP, the construction sector currently wastes £1.5 billion in unused materials, which are over-ordered during the construction process, and sends some 25 million tonnes of waste to landfill every year.

WRAP says the economic argument for waste reduction is growing in resonance.

“The uptake of the voluntary agreement is a positive indication of the industry’s dedication to reducing waste and it’s very encouraging to see such a positive response so soon after its launch,” said Liz Goodwin, chief executive of WRAP.

In a recent survey undertaken by WRAP, 90 per cent of those questioned in the construction industry stressed that reducing waste is a still high priority despite fears that the economic climate will stall 'green' projects as companies become more concerned with the bottom line. Of this 90 per cent, all believe they have the capabilities in place to implement WRAP’s Halving Waste to Landfill commitment.

WRAP said that over half of the companies surveyed – 52 per cent –are considering setting their own individual waste reduction targets, which will exceed the collective national benchmark of halving waste to landfill by 2012. A quarter – 24 per cent – are considering project-specific requirements.