Site Waste Management Plans (SWMP)

These Regulations came into force in England in 2008 and apply to all commercial construction projects with a value of £300,000 or more (excluding VAT and the value of the land). There are further requirements for projects with a value of £500,000 or more. As well as this all new dwellings that require Code for Sustainable Homes Certification must have a SWMP to meet the mandatory conditions of the Waste 2 Section. The need for regulation has become more urgent in recent years as landfill is running out and the cost of removal of waste to landfill becomes ever more expensive. The actual cost of a skip removing waste from a site to is some 10 times the cost of the skip when taking into consideration the costs of basic material elements, the process or manufacture costs, the transport and handling costs and all the labour resources that go with it. So there are significant savings to be had by proper consideration and control of all waste creation and disposal as well as reducing overall environmental impact.

The basic aim of the Regulation is to:

1. Help eliminate waste
2. Increase construction waste that is recovered, recycled and re-used
3. Improve the efficiency of material use
4. Improve or eliminate waste by design considerations
5. Prevent illegal disposal and fly tipping
6. Aid of enforcement by creating an auditable waste disposal trail

It places responsibilities on all duty holders Clients, Designers and Contractors to provide information on waste actions taken to minimise and manage waste and the SWMP provides the vehicle for this. It is essential that the Plan is produced and implemented at the very earliest stages of the design process so full consideration can be given to the environmental impact of the project and resource efficiency can be maximised thus reducing costs. Constructright will produce you a project specific Site Waste Management Plan as well as giving experienced advice on waste issues.