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19 Jun • 2 min Read The Importance of Building Waste Removal
When we’re undergoing a home renovation or an industrial site build, we may not notice how much waste we are generating in the form of broken or unused materials and more. From roof tiles to old pipes, the amount of waste from a building site can be staggering, and if not disposed of properly, quite dangerous.
Matt’s Skip Bins in Sydney provides containers in many different sizes for you to use to dispose of your waste. Because it is our main role to help you get rid of your rubbish, we are fully aware of the NSW rules and regulations, as well as the environmental and health-related implications of appropriate waste removal.
What is Building Waste?
According to NSW Environmental Protection Authority, building waste, or construction and demolition waste, can be a mixture of a few different kinds of waste—from mixed building waste to bricks and concrete. Building waste is not always unwanted materials, but it also includes excavated materials like rocks and soil, as well as waste asphalt, bricks, concrete, plasterboard, timber and vegetation. On the more hazardous side, you might find asbestos and contaminated soil, which needs to be treated very carefully.
The Rules of Building Waste
According to Section 143 of the Environment Operations Act 1997, waste is required to be transported to a place that can lawfully accept it, hence the importance of categorising and sorting your waste. Both the owner of the waste and the transporter has responsibility for the waste and its removal. At any time, you can be asked to supply information about the waste, such as its category, any health risks associated with it, and things like how it has been stored, recovered and recycled.
Environmental Implications
Australians produce up to one tonne of solid waste per person per year, and about 30 to 40 percent is contributed by construction. Most construction waste ends up filling landfills, which are becoming scarcer worldwide. They also increase the amount of methane released from the decomposition of organic wastes and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through transportation of waste.
If not disposed of correctly, many of the materials used in a building can be very bad for the environment and for human health. Materials like solvents and chemically treated timber can cause soil and water pollution. Many old buildings, especially those built in Australia in the 80s, were built with asbestos. Improper disposal of certain materials from building renovations can carry asbestos or hazardous soil.
What To Do
If you are involved in building and construction, it is important to sort your rubbish and dispose of it according to NSW law. Before hiring a skip bin, consider how you will be responsible for building waste removal by reducing your use of materials and natural resources, reusing salvaged materials and recycling when appropriate.
Need to hire a skip bin in Sydney for your building and construction waste? Get in touch with Matt’s Skip Bins today by calling 02 4708 2927, or book a bin online.
