New WRAP tracker will help swamped contractors compare and improve waste performance

10 March 2010

Since SWMPs were made compulsory in April 2008 for projects in England over £300,000, their management has proved a complicated, time-consuming exercise, especially with some contractors running hundreds of plans simultaneously.  This can leave little time for interpreting the data – essential to improving performance and fostering best practice in waste reduction.

WRAP’s Head of Construction, Dr Mike Watson, says the SWMP Tracker consolidates multiple SWMPs and helps organisations to quickly and efficiently query the data for headline corporate reporting, or to compare performance across projects of similar type, location or other variables.  The Tracker not only provides an efficient way to achieve continuous improvement with minimal effort, but also facilitates transfer of the required data to WRAP’s Halving Waste to Landfill Reporting Portal in just a few clicks.

“Once on the portal, your data can be compared in detail against industry averages on a wide range of different criteria,” he says. “For example, you will find averages for projects in education, healthcare or civils for comparison with your own data.” 

Dr Watson explains that the BRE SMARTWaste Plan tool was the first to simplify the way large numbers of SWMPs could be managed concurrently, and many contractors use it to collate data.

“We are currently working with the BRE to facilitate the linking of SMARTwaste data outputs to the WRAP Reporting Portal as well so that SMARTwaste users can also upload data with minimal effort.  The greater the amount of SWMP data collated, the larger the data set and the more accurate the comparison.”

He adds that he hopes the more streamlined way of handling SWMPs and the ability to analyse the outputs will make them less of a box-ticking exercise and a more powerful tool that will help organisations to further cut waste, reduce costs and help meet the industry’s Halving Waste to Landfill target by 2012. 

ISG Interior, a division of ISG plc, which provides construction, fit out and management services throughout the UK and internationally, typically has over 40 SWMPs on the go at any one time.   One of the company’s sustainability managers, Philippa Stone, helped road test the SWMP Tracker to see whether it could improve the way data is managed and used, and how data can be benchmarked.

“Currently, the task of collating and analysing SWMPs is a lengthy process, especially with a large number of projects on the go at any time, all at different stages,” she says.

“The tracker has great potential to save ISG a lot of time and quickly give us the comparisons we need to improve our waste performance and continue our drive to reduce waste to landfill.”

Advice on signing up to the Halving Waste to Landfill commitment, setting waste reduction targets and using the wide range of tools on offer, including the new SWMP Tracker, is available on the WRAP website www.wrap.org.uk/construction or by calling 0808 100 2040.

Editor's notes

• Other construction tools available to access from the WRAP website include:
  > Designing out Waste a design team guide for buildings.
  > Designing out Waste Tool for Buildings.
  > The Net Waste Tool
  > Site Waste Management Plan Template
  > Procurement Guidance
  > Waste to Landfill Reporting Portal
• WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
• Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioural Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
• More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on www.wrap.org.uk

Amy Jackson
Tel: 01295 819 638
amy.jackson@wrap.org.uk