Following the introduction of Defra's Plasterboard Sustainability Action Plan, waste management firm HIPPOWASTE has launched a new service to help building and construction companies dispose of their plasterboard waste.
The company behind the innovative HIPPOBAG has developed the nationwide Plasterboard Recycling Service to make the disposal of the non-inert waste easier for handlers. This will also help contribute to the reduction of plasterboard waste that costs the construction sector almost £50 million each year (WRAP).
HIPPOWASTE has been providing a limited plasterboard disposal service to its customers since the changes to landfill regulations were introduced in April 2009 and has seen an increase in demand for its solution. HIPPOWASTE's new collection service will collect waste plasterboard from site from as little as £25 a bag, with no tonnage surcharge.
Approximately three million tonnes of plasterboard are used in construction in the UK each year (WRAP) and many construction companies have been left with a headache with their existing waste contractor unable to collect the waste, even if it has been fully segregated in a container of its own.
The Environment Agency advises that the easiest way to keep the waste stream separate is through segregation at the point of creation. It is unlikely that the specialist waste streams will be removed unless they are presented in a separate container or in a manner that means they can be easily segregated for recycling.
Gareth Lloyd Jones, managing director of HIPPOWASTE, said: "With plasterboard being a widely used construction product, HIPPOWASTE welcomes the Plasterboard Sustainability Action Plan to further improve the sustainability of this product throughout its life-cycle and supply chain.
"HIPPOWASTE has been providing one off pick ups of plasterboard waste for a number of years but it's great to take our offering a step further. When we were developing the service, a common message from our customers was that they wanted a simple service so they knew what they would be paying from the start. We believe our new dedicated Plasterboard Recycling Service can make a real difference and the disposal of plasterboard much simpler for trade professionals.
"The HIPPOBAG is an ideal solution for the segregation of a project's usual construction waste from uncontaminated plasterboard - there is no paying for void space in a skip or downtime waiting for containers to arrive or be taken away. A supply of flat-packed bags can be kept on site and opened only as needed, ultimately taking up less space compared with a traditional waste container. And better still, recycling is a convenient, legal and environmentally acceptable route for plasterboard and gypsum based waste.
"Positive measures to reduce environmental impacts will enable plasterboard to maintain its prominent position as a construction material."