About this programme
Timber accounts for 31% of construction waste sent to landfill and contributes significantly to methane emissions. To help reduce timber waste, through Timber construction and demolition waste research (complete), Tonkin + Taylor analysed construction and demolition waste at sites in Wellington and Christchurch. They found that: - more than 80% of all timber waste was treated sawn timber (with treated H1.2 being most common) - framing work was the most wasteful, generating 45% of timber waste - 95% of all timber waste were ?like new? pieces, usually timber off-cuts. It also uncovered key reasons for high timber waste, including overordering, lack of recovery options and a ?throw it away? mentality. These insights along with evidence-based data will provide the basis for the sector to explore affordable options for treated timber recovery and adopt better waste management practices on site. The next step is to develop better understanding of how much material is brought to a site versus how much waste is generated, which could help improve accuracy of timber orders and save material costs for construction firms. Project partners - Waipapa Taumata Rau Auckland Council - Classic Builders - Environmental Solutions Research Centre, Unitec - FLIP Homes - K?inga Ora - Homes and Communities - Naylor Love - Tonkin + Taylor (lead researchers) - TROW Group - University of Auckland