Laing O’Rourke wears its environmental credentials on its site hoardings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) June 15, 2010 -- The Welsh arm of international construction company Laing O’Rourke, one of the original signatories to the voluntary agreement Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill, has further cemented its strong environmental credentials by displaying the commitment logo across all new projects starting in 2010.

Designed to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, WRAP Cymru’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme in Wales) Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill initiative supports the Welsh Assembly Government’s targets to achieve zero waste by 2050.

By signing up to Halving Waste to Landfill, in 2010/11 Laing O’Rourke aims to divert 75% of its UK entire waste arising from landfill; to reduce the total amount of waste generated by 10%, and to increase the use of materials with a higher recycled content on all projects. The Wales & West Business Unit itself diverted 85.6% of its waste from landfill from its construction activities last year.

Laing O’Rourke’s latest project to be part of the initiative is the £40m Taf Ely Learning Campus at Coleg Morgannwg, with work commencing in July. The four-storey building, which is expected to be complete by March 2012, will house a further education college with crèche, energy centre and community facilities including a library, restaurant, hair & beauty salon and fitness centre.

Mike Lewis, Director, Wales & West for Laing O’Rourke, said: “Laing O’Rourke has been recognised as one of the first major contractors to sign up to the WRAP initiative, Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill. By so doing we have formulated our own waste reduction targets - to divert 75% of waste from landfill through our construction projects this year.

“We recognise the business benefits that can be achieved by reducing our waste and making efficient use of resources. Not only are we experiencing considerable cost savings by doing so, it means we are focused on minimising our impact on the environment and finding more sustainable ways of working.”

Laing O’Rourke has set up an online waste tracker system which it uses to report its waste savings to WRAP via the WRAP Reporting Portal. Data is entered quarterly and monitored against industry benchmark targets.

The company also works closely with its suppliers and architects at the beginning of the project. By working with designers and its supply chain early on, Laing O’Rourke is able to design out waste at the drawing board and so harness significant financial savings before a project begins. Similar savings are made by ordering specific quantities only, reducing packaging; sourcing materials with higher recycled content and establishing a ‘take-back’ system with suppliers. Waste arising on site is routinely segregated at source.

Supported by WRAP, Laing O’Rourke developed their own site waste management plan template (SWMP). The SWMP identifies and records actions to substantially reduce waste, bringing cost savings and lessening the impact on the environmental impact.

Research undertaken by WRAP has found that over half of all waste generated in Wales comes from the construction industry. Each year the sector sends an estimated 0.9m tonnes of waste to landfill. Doing so costs industry approximately £90m on materials that will ultimately be thrown away.

Hugh Jones from WRAP Cymru, said: “WRAP has worked closely with Laing O’Rourke to embed the principles of reducing waste, recycling more, and increasing the use of recycled and recovered materials within their procurement documentation.

“As a result, Laing O’Rourke’s entire supply chain will be working collaboratively to deliver their challenging targets. We have also ensured that they have received the appropriate training in the use of our suite of WRAP waste management tools.

“We hope that Laing O’Rourke’s commitment to Halving Waste to Landfill will encourage other construction companies in Wales to sign up and help to divert 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill across the UK.

Notes to Editor

WRAP Cymru provides practical support to ensure that all signatories have the necessary tools they need to deliver waste reduction targets. Benchmarking, measurement and reporting are key to the success of the initiative and there are numerous support services available from WRAP to help organisations make better use of resources, and reduce waste.

Since its launch in October 2008, nearly 400 companies from across the UK have signed up to Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill including leading clients, developers, contractors, designers and waste management contractors.

For further information on WRAP’s Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill, a complete list of signatories and information on WRAP tools and resources to reduce waste, visit www.wrap.org.uk/halvingwaste

For further information about WRAP Cymru, visit www.wrapcymru.org.uk or contact Hugh Jones on 0780 909 2897

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