GRAHAM took part in the annual European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) which is the biggest initiative of its kind. Its aim is to encourage companies to reduce the amount of waste they produce and to inspire people to make everyday changes that have a wider impact.

To help support and raise awareness surrounding this campaign we ran our annual “Waste Watchers Challenge” for sites across GRAHAM with a purpose to reward sites that have found innovative solutions for preventing or reducing waste and conserving resources.

Here are the three winning sites:

1^st place - Dounreay Stores Extension

2^nd place - M11 Junction 7A

3^rd place - St Marks Apartments

Dounreay Stores Extension, waste saving activity:

• The site is currently using four concrete moulds to produce concrete Kelly blocks from any leftover concrete after pouring operations are completed for the day. These have threaded sockets cast in to allow lifting eyes to be used for moving, or items to be connected to the blocks. The Kelly blocks are used on site for temporary stability of formwork and rebar cage walls following temporary works design. Another use is to provide barriers where traffic movements could cause damage to scaffolding structures or pedestrian walkways.
• Solidified concrete waste from the concrete washout operations is re-used by the Client DSRL, who crush it and use for backfill, saving the need to remove from site. They can also be used as barriers where traffic movements could cause damage to scaffolding structures or pedestrian walkways.

M11 Junction 7A, waste saving activities:

• Materials such as terram, ducting and HDPE piping were left in various sizes in the compound from the contractor who worked previously on the project. To prevent this becoming waste the groundworks crews were encouraged to reuse these materials prior to using newly bought materials.
• Food waste bins have been installed in each of the canteens.
• Waste separation is encouraged onsite including toolbox talks and clearly labelled bins.
• Anti-Litter posters are put up across the site. All staff are encouraged to keep the site clean, this is the number 1 item on the environmental agenda every
• Class 6C, 6F5 and Type 1 aggregates, which are materials that have been recycled from building, demolition, or other construction sites, are being used for construction and drainage on Gilden Way and compaction layer on the offline section. This greatly reduces the cost to the project but also reduces the project's reliance on virgin materials. The use of recycled aggregate is encouraged by the senior engineers due to its environmental benefits.
• Regular litter picking on site to keep site areas and offices clean too

St Marks Apartments, waste saving activity:

• St Marks is one of the six individual apartment buildings being refurbished as part of Project Horizon. Unlike the other 5, this project is located within the Borough of Islington, London. Further out from the city centre – this site has more space and hence more opportunity to segregate waste.
• At the start of the project and working with the demolition sub contractor, Site Management decided to apply for an S2 Waste Exemption at St Marks to accommodate all the waste arising on site, but also to store and segregate waste from the other Horizon projects.
• The S2 waste exemption allows you to store specific waste at a secure intermediate site, separate to where the waste was produced, before transportation to another site for recovery.

In addition to the waste exemption the site demonstrated best practice through:

• Adequately resourced and well managed waste area at St Marks
• Early engagement with subcontractors
• Appointment of GRAHAM ‘Preferred’ waste management companies – Powerday & GBN
• Good co-ordination and buy in from all Horizon projects
• Comprehensive record keeping - waste documentation and duty of care
• 100% of the waste produced at St Marks is currently recycled with zero going to landfill due to their determination to segregate and sort their waste correctly and effectively.
• Establishing a Waste Storage area also enabled the other projects in the Horizon Scheme to achieve excellent recycling rates as well