For anyone commissioning a refurbishment, conversion or new build in England, there was a new piece of paperwork to plan for. The Site Waste Management Plans Regulations 2008 came into force on 6 April 2008. They applied to construction projects with an estimated cost greater than £300,000, excluding VAT.
What a site waste management plan is
A site waste management plan, or SWMP, records the types and quantities of waste a project is expected to produce and how each will be reduced, reused, recycled or disposed of. As the work proceeds, the plan is updated to show what actually happened to the waste and who removed it. The aim is to cut waste and to stop illegal dumping.
Who does what
- The client must make sure a plan is prepared before construction work begins.
- The principal contractor, or the client if there is none, keeps the plan up to date and makes it available on site.
- Larger projects, worth more than £500,000, need more detailed updating during the works.
The principal contractor must keep the plan for two years after the project is completed.
Why it is worth doing well
A plan prepared only to satisfy the rules adds cost and little else. One prepared properly, at design stage, can save money. Waste costs are not just skip hire and landfill: they include the materials that were bought and thrown away. Good design and specification can reduce offcuts, allow materials to be reused on site and keep demolition arisings out of landfill.
Practical steps for clients
- Ask your designers to think about waste when they prepare the specification.
- Make the SWMP a requirement in the tender documents, so contractors price for it.
- Ask tenderers how they will manage and record waste.
- Check the plan is being kept up to date during site inspections and progress meetings.
Waste also links to other duties. Information about asbestos and other hazardous materials should be gathered before demolition or strip out, and fed into both the waste plan and the health and safety arrangements.
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