Did you know that
the construction industry accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of the plastic
consumed in the UK?

Did you also know
that every year, 40% of this plastic is sent to landfill? Amounting to 20,000
tonnes – this plastic waste weighs the same amount of two Eiffel Towers.

As a means of
helping the construction industry lessen its plastic usage, Insulation Express
has uncovered the practical solutions construction workers can utilise on a
day-to-day basis: https://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/blog/can-uks-construction-lessen-plastic-usage/

Revealed: The
Construction Sector’s Plastic Problem

• 95%
  of construction professionals admit that the industry needs to reduce its
  plastic use.
• Whilst
  the durability of plastic is useful, it’s also part of its demise – it can
  take up to 1000 years to decompose. And whilst it degrades, it
  contaminates our soil and oceans with the release of fossil fuels and
  greenhouse gases.
• Every
  year, the UK’s construction sector generates 50,000 tonnes of plastic
  packaging waste – which is four times the weight of the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Reducing
  your plastic waste can be a financial benefit, too. One contractor, Risby
  Homes saved £13,000 on a 25-home development project – simply by reducing,
  reusing and recycling their plastic waste.

5 Ways to Reduce
Plastic Waste in Construction

1. A
   huge proportion of packaging thrown away can often be reused. Talk to your
   supplier to see if they can reduce their packaging, or take back the
   packaging to recycle yourself.
2. Try
   and order your productions in bulk or larger packs. This will cut the
   volume of packaging per item, and reduce the need for multiple polypropylene
   bags.
3. Use
   reusable plastic boxes to place and protect materials – before returning
   the boxes to the supplier.
4. For
   the plastic packaging that can’t be recycled, send it to a licensed Waste
   Management Contractor. They are best placed to decide their destination.
5. Use
   large sheets of plastic sheeting that arrived as wrapping for use on site
   as weather protection.

Interested in the
full findings? https://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/blog/can-uks-construction-lessen-plastic-usage/