Construction waste and its disposal

Marine creatures shown at risk on David Attenborough’s recent Blue Planet television series may not have struck viewers employed in construction as having any bearing on their working lives. The similar can be said about most members of the various state and federal the governments and their waste minimisation initiatives, which are mostly targeted based on household recycling. But they do. Blue Planet transformed public attitudes to plastic pollution in the world’s oceans into demanding that politicians and others “do something”. But could the new policy emphasis on avoiding waste while encouraging recycling and reuse actually save construction firms money by making them rethink what they use, how much of it they use and how they use it?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:

• List 5 of the biggest types of construction waste
• List 3 ways that will help eliminate a significant proportion construction waste
• Have a basic understanding of Product Stewardship
• List at least 3 legal bodies that oversee waste management and what are their functions

Competency Standard – Design: Schematic Design
Relates to: 4.2 Evaluation of design options against values of physical, environmental and cultural contexts.