Environmental and Waste Policies

As a company we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. We are aware that they are becoming ever more important and necessary. To this end we strive to operate in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

Before we commence on site for any refurbishment work scheme we will appraise our environmental policy and its implications for the scheme. Typically we will look at the following issues:

Is there a noise issue? Should we be using silent generators?
Are any processes very dusty? Should we use water-damping techniques?
Do we need daily road cleaning due to the nature of the works?
Provide separate skips for recyclable waste
Minimise transport to site by using crew buses and employment of local labour where possible
To minimise water consumption on our sites

In a bid to address social and environmental issues we have signed up to the Considerate Constructors scheme. This scheme aims to:

Minimise disturbance caused by construction sites to their immediate neighbourhood
Eradicate offensive behaviour and language from construction sites
Recognise and reward the contractors‘ commitment to raise standards of site management, safety and environmental awareness

Inspectors who visit sites on a regular basis monitor our commitment to the Schemes code of practice. Inspectors will also pass on advice to site managers.

In addition we are a member of The Central and West Lancashire Green Business Network. This organisation advises us on green issues.

We are in the process of adopting and piloting the DTI Site Waste Management Plan. This is a voluntary code of practice issued in July 2004. The plan consists of nine steps:-

Step 1 A Champion is nominated for each site who is responsible for producing the Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) and ensuring that it is followed. The SWMP is based on a detailed checklist to ensure that all aspects are covered. For example question nineteen asks about recycling of materials. On a refurbishment contract this may involve

Cleaning and reusing bricks
Inspecting and sorting roofing slates
De-glazing windows to reuse the glass.

Step 2 Identify the types and quantities of waste that will be produced at all stages of the work programme.

Step 3 Identify waste management options including reference to the waste hierarchy, on and off-site options and pay particular attention to arrangements for identifying and managing any hazardous wastes produced.

Step 4 Identify waste management sites and contractors for all wastes that require them and ensure that the contracts are in place, emphasising compliance with legal responsibilities such as the Duty of Care. This will include segregation of different wastes and recyclable materials.

Step 5 Carry out any necessary training of in-house and sub-contract staff so that everyone understands the requirements of our Site Waste Management Plan.

Step 6 Plan for efficient materials and waste handling and do this early enough bearing in mind any constraints imposed by the site and its location.

Step 7 Measure how much waste and what types of waste are produced and compare these against our SWMP to make sure we are on track to manage all wastes properly.

Step 8 Monitor the implementation of the SWMP to make sure that all is going according to plan, and be prepared to update the plan if circumstances change.

Step 9 Review how the SWMP worked at the end of the project and identify learning points for next time.

From the above you can see that we have an extremely proactive response towards increasingly important environmental issues. We strive to respond rapidly to any government directives and to this aim we are already piloting the above DTI instruction.