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How to reduce waste plasterboard and benefit from it

In our last blog post we looked at how waste plasterboard can be used once it’s been recycled – and there’s a lot of it to be recycled. According to WRAP, 300,000 tonnes of plasterboard ends up as waste.

A survey carried out by the Construction Resources and Waste Platform (CRWP) claims that 90,000 tonnes is simply down to offcuts. Some of that waste is unavoidable, but by improving working methods, and ordering bespoke products on larger projects, we can help to reduce some of this waste.

The Plasterboard Sustainability Partnership estimates that sending one skip of waste plasterboard to landfill will cost you about £2,000, but you can save £500 on each skip by recycling it. Immediately you can see the financial benefits of using a waste management company that specialises in plasterboard.

In order to recycle waste plasterboard you have to look after it and make sure it’s free from contamination – that’s when materials such as metal, bricks, glass, plastic and fast food packaging become embedded in the material. If plasterboard is contaminated, it could slow down or even prevent the recycling process – which means some of it may have to go to landfill, costing you more.

Here are four ways you can help prevent contamination on site:

  • Segregate waste plasterboard into designated skips, which are clearly marked
  • Make sure skips are covered, because dry plasterboard is easier and more economical to reprocess
  • Use skips that can be locked
  • Encourage and incentivise your workforce to separate waste. This helps to minimise waste handling costs, wasted space and the impact on the environment

In summary, then, how can you or your construction firm Go Green for Plasterboard?

  • Order the correct type and amount of plasterboard for the job
  • Keep any waste dry and uncontaminated in designated skips
  • Arrange for it to be recycled by a reputable company, instead of sending it to landfill

By following this advice as closely as possible, you’ll be able to reduce your costs while it’ll also improve your company image at a time when green and sustainable ways of working have never been more important. (How can recycled plasterboard be re-used?)

As you’ll have gathered from this series of blog posts, recycling plasterboard can be an effective way to contribute to the UK’s recycling effort.

Now you’ve got all the reasons you need to join Jewson in playing your part!