Midas is saving £200,000 a year on a turnover of £200m by recycling 70% of its waste.

The firm’s CSR director, David McDermott, said the savings had been relatively easy to achieve. ‘We were surprised to see how much we could save,’ he said.

One of the biggest challenges was measuring the waste accurately. Midas had been using around 30 skip firms, but has switched to using just waste specialists: Wastefile and Waste Management Facilities. They have advised the contractor on waste and supplied accurate records.

McDermott recommends getting government-sponsored body Envirowise in to give free advice on environmental issues, including waste. ‘They probably provided the most practical advice I received and they can help you produce a simple plan of attack,’ said McDermott.

Midas’s war on waste is partly driven by the demands of its big retail customers such as Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. It already uses site waste management plans (SWMPs) – which will become mandatory for all projects over £250,000 from April.

The company’s next goal is to target specialist contractors. ‘We will explain to them that they too can save money,’ said McDermott.

Source

Construction Manager