Waste Pre-Treatment & Waste Audit

From November 2007 landfill operators have been under an obligation to ensure that waste is pre-treated before being landfilled, otherwise they should refuse to take it.

Waste taken to landfill from YPH always fulfils these conditions, but otherwise there is a duty on all commercial waste producers to ensure that it is pre-treated.

This is not necessarily difficult – it can be as simple as segregating paper in the office from other waste. However, if a business is contemplating changing its procedures, it is typically a good time to look at how all waste is processed, and this is a service we offer free of charge.

Such an audit typically produces savings for the customer, as it is done by our qualified Waste Manager - a member of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management - who has considerable practical experience in this area and can give recent examples of significant savings.

An audit will be followed up with a short report with recommendations and quantified potential monetary savings. Whether or not you are forced to change your procedures for handling waste, it is likely that you will see benefit from an audit.

Site Waste Management Plans (SWAMPs)

Construction firms face the legal requirement of a Site Waste Management Plan (SWAMP) from 1 April 2008 for all construction projects over £300,000.

With unused building materials that reach figures of well into millions of tonnes being discarded as waste every year, promoters consider this will have a major impact on the industry.

Originally developed as a DTI Voluntary Code of Practice, SWAMPs provide a structure for systematic waste management at all stages of a project's delivery.

The plans focus largely on on-site operations and primarily identify:

• An individual responsible for resource management
• The types of waste that will be generated
• Resource management options for these wastes
• The use of appropriate and licensed waste management contractors
• A plan for monitoring and reporting on resource use and the quantity of waste

The perceived benefits of a SWAMP are to:

• Provide a structured approach to management and recycling on site
• Reduce cost of waste management
• Increase profit margins
• Provide better control of regulatory risks relating to materials and wastes on site
• Assist with compliance of contractual needs of public and private sector
• Help the contractor to deal with any queries from environmental regulatory bodies

YPH is in a unique position to assist with SWAMPs as we have the resources of our parent group -involved in development & construction - to draw on. We would recommend that we become involved early in the construction planning process for maximum benefit.

If you would be interested in further information, or to discuss an audit or a SWAMP, please contact Julian Wicks on 01935 412211 or email him at