Making sure builders order the correct quantity of building material is to become more important than ever with the introduction of the new site waste management legislation on 6 April 2008.

That’s the view of Anthony Botibol, marketing manager at HBXL, the building software specialist company, who believes that builders not wanting to fall foul of the law need to put systems in place now that will help them plan for this.

Enforced under the powers of the Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005, the new regulation means that anyone planning a construction project costing more than £250,000 will have to produce a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) before construction work begins.

With the building sector producing around 120 million tones of construction, demolition and excavation waste per year, the new legislation is planned to result in greater resource efficiency in the construction sector, improve re-use and recycling rates, reduce in fly-tipping and reduce the number of site accidents.

If however a project is started without a SWMP, the client and the principal contractor will then be guilty of an offence that could result in a fine up to £50,000.

Commenting on the issue Anthony said: “Waste management is a massive issue for the construction industry. If however builders order an accurate amount of materials in the first place then the level of waste wouldn’t be a problem.

“If a builder has over ordered then the surplus material has to be disposed of somewhere at considerable cost. Not only is this an unsustainable way to operate but also erodes builders’ profit margins.”

Research shows that the average cost of material in a skip amounts to £1,200*. When the cost of an average eight cubic yard skip of £150 is added, the amount of money spent on waste soon starts to mount up. With a builder easily using six skips during a house build the monetary impact of waste amounts to over £8,000.

An even more staggering fact is that 13% of material delivered to site never gets used and with land fill tax set to increase from £24 per tonne to £48 per tonne in 2010 builders really have to put in place now systems that will help alleviate the issue of waste.

Waste Reduction

To make sure builders order the correct amount of materials, Anthony is advising they take a look at the latest version of HBXL’s EstimatorXpress estimating software. Regarded as the fastest and most accurate estimating software on the market, it provides users with detailed material schedule right down to the last screw on any given project.

All users have to do is input the dimensions of the project they’re working on. The software then calculates exactly what materials are needed and at what cost.

He added: “EstimatorXpress will help in the production of a SWMP as it lists exactly what materials a builder should order for a project. It also tells builders when they need to place an order, avoiding unwanted material hanging around on site that’s liable to get stolen, damaged and subsequently thrown away.

“SWMPs are intended to change the construction industry’s attitude to waste by raising the profile of waste planning. What we’re providing is a ready made solution to make sure there’s no waste in the first place.”

For further information on HBXL and any of its products please call T: 0870 850 2444 or visit the web site www.hbxl.co.uk

* Source CIRIA