Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
If you are in Northern Ireland or Scotland, you do not need to have a site waste management plan (SWMP) for your construction project. However, following the procedure could help you to reduce the amount of waste you produce and will help you manage your waste more effectively. SWMPs are being promoted as an example of best practice in the construction industry.
We have produced a simple guide to help you create a SWMP. You can also record your waste with our waste data form.
Site waste management plan - a simple guide (Adobe PDF, 1.1MB)
Site waste management plan - waste data form (MS Word, 170KB)
Each project should have one SWMP.
A SWMP is a live document. It must be updated through the course of the project.
Because it is produced at the very beginning of a project, the designer can consider ways that waste can be reduced and site-gained materials can be reused or recycled as part of the project. Identifying waste materials at an early stage that can not be reused on that project will make it easier to find other alternative uses for them.
If you are the client, you are responsible for:
If you are the principal contractor, you are responsible for:
You should update the plan regularly to ensure that it accurately reflects the progress of the project.
The level of detail that your SWMP should contain depends on the estimated build cost, excluding VAT.
For projects estimated at between £300,000 and £500,000 (excluding VAT) the SWMP should contain details of the:
For projects estimated at over £500,000 (excluding VAT) the SWMP should contain details of the:
At the end of the project, you must review the plan and record the reasons for any differences between the plan and what actually happened.
You must still comply with the duty of care for waste. Because you will need to record all waste movements in one document, having a SWMP will help you to ensure you comply with the duty of care.
Duty of care - your waste responsibilities
If you are working on a construction project within a site that has a Part A environmental permit you do not need to consider a SWMP.
If you are working on a construction project within a nuclear licensed site you do not need a separate SWMP if you have an Integrated Waste Strategy (IWS) that meets all of the SWMP requirements.
If you are working as a sub-contractor, check your contract for requirements on:
Watch our short videos:
Good practice on a construction site
How to manage waste on a construction site
Wrap: Site waste management plans
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