Campaign to tackle plastics and packaging in construction launched

The Considerate Constructors Scheme has launched its industry-wide campaign “Spotlight on plastics and packaging”, to raise awareness and showcase best practice in how the construction industry can reduce, reuse and recycle plastics and packaging.

The launch of the campaign, which features on the industry’s Best Practice Hub, comes in response to startling findings from a Scheme survey of over 900 people working within the UK and Irish construction industries.

The survey found that although over 95 per cent of respondents said the industry needs to be doing something to reduce its consumption of plastics and packaging, over half of respondents have little understanding of the rules and regulations surrounding plastics and packaging, and only 44 per cent know how to recycle different plastic and packaging materials.

The Scheme is calling on all construction sites, companies, suppliers and clients of construction projects to drastically reduce their consumption of plastics and packaging.

Not only does this offer significant improvements for the environment and society as a whole, it also makes commercial business sense, with many organisations reporting significant cost savings achieved.

“Spotlight on plastics and packaging” provides a suite of resources to help the industry to address this issue, as it includes a range of practical case studies and guidance from contractors, clients and service suppliers.

Edward Hardy, Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive, said: “As construction is the second largest consumer off plastic in the UK, our industry has one of the greatest responsibilities to society, and to the environment, to ensure that we are working tirelessly to improve our standards in minimising waste from plastics.”