A roadmap for waste reduction
January 15, 2025
Most tradies are familiar with the stats around construction waste – that it contributes roughly half of the waste that ends up in landfills across New Zealand. While most of us are keen to tackle this problem, it can be very hard to know exactly where to send your offcuts, packaging and demolition waste, especially when you’re outside of the main centres.
BRANZ has come to the rescue with a free online toolbox to help builders with their waste management. It was developed after feedback from the sector identified the main barrier to better waste management is the lack of knowledge around where to recycle materials. The tool box includes a resource recovery map showing all the sites across New Zealand that accept certain forms of waste.
This is an extremely useful new resource that aims to save builders money on waste disposal and raw materials, and helps meet the growing demand for more sustainable solutions.
Getting familiar with the tool can help give you the edge in your conversations with customers and build partners, demonstrating you have a plan in place for how you’re going to minimise your impact on the environment before you start.
To give your business even more of an edge, it’s smart to keep thorough records about how much you’re recycling – and set targets. Measuring how well you performed against these, and noting any lessons from your experience, is a great way to incentivise your teams to create a low-waste, sustainable culture and demonstrate that you’re walking the talk. Monitor progress and what went well, call out great achievements when they happen and consider what can be improved next time.
Check out the short video series we designed to help you make some simple changes on your job sites that will add up over time and have a significant impact if everyone gets on board.
However, as BRANZ notes, avoiding waste in the first place by choosing products with less packaging is much better (and easier) than having to deal with it once it’s on site.
The New Zealand Green Building Council also has some clever tips to reduce construction waste through thoughtful design. These include designing rooms and features to standard retail product sizes, specifying materials and products that can be reused or recycled in your area, and designing to fit the topography of the land rather than excavating a lot of fill.
From design and planning to demolition, it’s now easier to reduce your environmental impact, no matter where in the country you are. Access the full list of REBRI resources here.
