黑洞社区

锘緿efra has called upon the construction sector to clean up its record as the most wasteful industry.

In its 鈥淲aste Review鈥� report, published this week, Defra said there must be 鈥渁 greater focus on waste reduction at the design stages of construction projects, as this is where the largest environmental and financial savings can be made鈥�.

Defra said a total of 165.1 million tonnes of waste was generated by UK households and industry in 2008. It claimed that the largest contributing sectors were construction, demolition and excavation, which were responsible for 81.4 million tonnes.

The government is benchmarking waste reduction against EU targets, which stipulate that, by 2020, 70% of all waste from the construction sector should be recovered.
It proposes a reduction in the disposal of biodegradable waste and wood, an increase in 鈥渞ecycling on the go鈥� schemes and a clampdown on fly-tippers. Defra claims that this will lead to an expansion of the UK鈥檚 拢11bn waste and recycling sector.

Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers ICE鈥檚 Waste and Resources Management Panel Phil Butler said: 鈥淕overnment鈥檚 commitment to a resource efficient economy that will unlock the true value of our waste is to be commended; however it is crucial that we now see these commitments translated into action.