Unit 103 - Lesson 4

Unit 103 - The Built Environment Life Cycle

​Waste is created on every construction project. But it's how we deal with it which is important.

​Waste

​Designing waste out of projects

​Bricks, blocks, timber and sheet material all come in standard sizes. ​

To save waste, houses are often designed so that the outside walls are equally dividable by the length of a brick. 
​

Ceiling heights match the length of plasterboards and partitions are built to accommodate the width of plasterboards.

Timber is commercially available in increments of 300mm from 2.1m, so lengths can be ordered that reduces the amount of waste.

​Sustainable materials

​

Conventional building materials​	Green building materials​
Structural​ Bricks, concrete and steel​	Structural​ Timber frame, stone and straw bale, fly ash bricks, glass ​
Insulation​ Foam boards and Therma-wrap​ ​	Insulation​ Sheep's wool, cellulose insulation​ ( made from recycled newspapers)​
Flooring​ Concrete, wood-based laminates ​ and tiles​	Flooring​ Stone, bamboo, corkwood and timber from a sustainable source ​

​ Delivery and storage

​Planning when materials are required and estimating how much is required allows the ordering of materials in a phased delivery, which saves on storage and avoids potential damage and waste.

The correct storage of materials also reduces the likelihood of materials being damaged.

Using FIFO (First In First Out) with perishable materials such as Plaster, Cement, plasterboard etc. again will reduce waste.

​Site waste management plan (SWMP)

​What are the waste actions that the SWMP covers? The waste hierarchy consists of four main methods of handling waste: 

Reuse – in other projects, or in another phase of the same project. 

Recycle – such as turning the results of demolition into recycled aggregate for use in roads. 

Recover – for example, recovery of mercury and other non-ferrous metals from end-of-life industrial sites, or the cleaning and re-selling of bricks during demolition. 

Dispose – to landfill, the final and least preferred option within any waste management hierarchy. 

​Waste disposal

​Timber: Should be placed in a timber-only skip where it can go to be recycled into sheet materials or, it unsuitable for repurposing, pulped to use as fuel in a biomass plant.

Metal: should again go into a metal-only skip so it can easily be sorted and recycled. Separating waste will reduce the amount going to landfill, saving money and landfill taxes.

​Plasterboard: needs to be disposed of separately, as if it is mixed with organic material and added to landfill it gives of hydrogen sulphide (H2S).  
This is a colourless gas that smells like rotten eggs and is extremely poisonous, corrosive and flammable.​

​Construction sites colour code they're skips to assist with the segregation of construction waste materials.

​

Designated Skips

Any Questions

Multiple Choice

What is the first step in effective waste management?

• Encourage waste incineration
• Increase landfill usage
• Reduce waste generation at the source
• Promote single-use plastics

Match

Match the following coloured skips to the correct waste material:

• Black

• White

• Blue

• Grey

• Green

Mixed

Gypsum

Metal

Insert

Wood

• Mixed

• Gypsum

• Metal

• Insert

• Wood

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is considered hazardous waste in a warehouse project?

• Packaging materials
• Office supplies
• Used Oil Filters

• Old furniture

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not part of the 3Rs in waste management?

• Recycle
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Rotate

Multiple Choice

Used electrical and electronic items are classified as

• Hazardous Electronic Materials
• General Household Trash
• Recyclable Plastic Waste
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a common method for disposing of hazardous waste?

• Open burning

• Composting

• Incineration

• Landfilling

Multiple Choice

What does SWMP stand for?

• Small works monitoring programme

• Site waste monitoring programme

• Small works management plan

• Site waste management plan

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a correct waste segregation practice?

• Using different color bins

• Mixing dry and wet waste

• Burn plastic waste in open areas.
• Dumping in open areas

Multiple Choice

What does C&D Waste Mean

• Commercial and Domestic Waste
• Construction and Demolition Waste
• Construction and Design Waste
• Concrete and Dirt Waste

Multiple Choice

What is the standard bin color for biodegradable waste?

• Green

• Blue

• Yellow

• Red

Multiple Choice

Used paint cans should be

• thrown in regular trash
• stored indefinitely
• reused for other projects
• disposed of properly

Multiple Choice

Recycling is a process of -

• Disposing of waste materials

• Collection of waste materials

• Converting waste materials into new materials and objects.

Multiple Select

what is the most important reason to keep waste storage areas clean?

• Reduces smells

• Prevent and control pests and vermin

• Improve the environment

• Prevent injury

Multiple Choice

which of the following should not be recycled in the workplace?

• Plastic

• Glass

• Paper

• Chemicals

Multiple Choice

What gas is given off if plasterboard is added to landfill with organic materials?

• Hydrogen sulphide

• Nitrogen monoxide

• Hydrogen cyanide

• Nitrogen dioxide

Multiple Choice

FIFO is used when working with what type of materials?

• Perishable materials
• Non-perishable materials
• Hazardous materials
• Bulk materials

Match

Match the following colour coded skips to the waste material:

• Black

• Blue

• White

• Green

• Grey

Mixed

Metal

Gypsum

Wood

Inert

• Mixed

• Metal

• Gypsum

• Wood

• Inert