Waste management contractors and MRF operators working in the construction industry can now offer their clients complete transparency on the recovery rates achieved on their behalf, thanks to an innovative measurement tool being launched by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

The freely available Site Specific Waste Analysis Tool (SSWAT) allows waste contractors to track each consignment of construction, demolition and excavation waste processed at their facilities, reporting exactly how - and in what quantities - the materials have been recovered. Historically, it has been rare for operators to offer customer-specific recycling information of this type, relying instead on monthly or quarterly figures based on total throughput.

The Excel-based tool - now available free on the WRAP website, alongside guidance notes for its use - has been developed following a period of consultation with industry which included live testing by a range of MRFs. The user-friendly tool can integrate data on both site-segregated and mixed waste deliveries into an output that can be used by construction contractors and their clients to complete their Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) and report against their published waste reduction targets.

Signatories to WRAP’s Halving Waste to Landfill agreement will also be able to input the recovery information into WRAP’s Reporting Portal – allowing them to track their progress against their individually-set targets. By aggregating the data, WRAP will then be able to demonstrate the industry’s overall progress as it works to halve the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 2012.

And in a move that will enable the waste management industry to demonstrate even greater commitment to good practice, WRAP has developed a series of model contract clauses for use by waste contractors. The new clauses have been developed in close consultation with industry and fill an identified gap. Waste management contractors can apply the clauses to their standard terms and conditions of business to enable them to sell their improved services up the supply chain. The clauses demonstrate to construction clients that the waste contractors they work with are committed to good practice, have transparent and auditable systems for recording their recovery rates and will routinely report those recovery rates when required.

Mike Falconer Hall, Programme Manager for Materials Recycling at WRAP, said: “The recycling industry is undergoing a transformation. Contractors are now offering ever increasing levels of consultancy to their clients, offering professional guidance as to the most efficient way to manage resources and recover materials. Both the Site Specific Waste Analysis Tool and the contractual clauses we have developed will be of significant use to the industry as it adds resource recovery consultancy to its core waste management offering.”

The new contract clause wording, the Site Specific Waste Analysis Tool and the user guidelines can all be downloaded from wrap.org.uk/construction.

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