Having developed and applied a range of tools to reduce construction waste, such as specifications, contract clauses, construction waste management plans and monitoring and evaluation systems, it is possible to reflect on what works.
Key to achieving less construction waste is having a local network of collaborators who reuse or recycle construction waste. In many areas, these networks are not well established and difficult to find.
It was therefore fascinating to visit Urban Ore in San Francisco. Urban Ore is a city block full of recycled building products. These are bought and neatly stacked on shelves and in yards enabling them to be sold and used in new projects. Many of these recycled products are in good condition and are a fraction of the price of new products. A large amount of waste is also avoided. Further detail on Urban Ore is available
here.