by Shane Henson — September 26, 2012—With an estimated 24 million metric tons of waste produced in the U.K. commercial sector each year, and the subsequent cost incurred to dispose of this waste, the improvement of waste management practices stands to benefit businesses as well as the environment. Recently, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) launched an addition to its suite of SMARTWaste tools, SMARTWaste Commercial, in an effort to further cut waste generated within the commercial sector.
According to BRE, an organization that carries out research, consultancy and testing for the construction and built environment sectors in the U.K., the new Web-based waste measurement tool will support building owners, occupants and facilities managers in better understanding, managing, reporting and reducing commercial waste arising from buildings.
Applicable to all types of commercial buildings including offices, hotels, retail, schools, health care and leisure, SMARTWaste Commercial is compatible with the BREEAM-In-Use standard for existing commercial stock.
SMARTWaste Commercial will deliver many benefits to users, says BRE, including:
- Consistent and accurate reporting of waste arising from commercial buildings;
- Reduction of waste costs and waste sent to landfill;
- Provision of a single “Waste Performance Rating” that scores overall waste management of a building, similar to an EPC; and
- Management of a company’s whole building portfolio with the ability to compare waste performance across buildings.
- Reduction of waste costs and waste sent to landfill;
