Save Money with SWMPs

Each year approximately 13% of materials delivered

construction sites are disposed of as waste.

The factors involved in materials delivered to site becoming waste include damage (either in transit or in storage on site), over ordering, sizing of materials (design aspect), change in specification and poor quality materials.

Although it is a legal requirement to write and implement SWMP, the greatest cost savings are likely to be achieved as a result of the consideration of materials resource efficiency which will be a necessary part of the preparation, before the SWMP is drafted.

SWMPs will increase the administrative burden, as they involve specifying contracts, working with contractors and auditing. But, this additional cost will be off-set against the potential benefits of improving resource efficiency and a more robust audit trail for building projects.

SWMPs can save you money, but only if you use them to challenge the way you use resources.  By thinking about minimising waste from the outset you can save money on materials, disposal costs and labour and make a real difference to your bottom line.

SWMPs provide a structured approach to management and recycling on site, leading to better management of materials both on-site and off-site, which can result in the reduction of costs of waste management. In addition, they offer improved management of waste for recovery rather than disposal, and can reduce how much waste is sent to landfill for disposal, which also offer cost savings.