It is Zero Waste Week. It’s OK if you didn’t know that. I didn’t either, until someone told me. Perhaps those behind the campaign decided not to waste their money promoting it.
When demolition and construction people hear the words “Zero Waste Week”, I am sure most of them will picture overflowing skips, mountains of rubble, and diesel-belching machines chewing through concrete. They’ll imagine campaigns to recycle aggregates, to reuse timber, to cut down on single-use plastics in site canteens. And that’s all fine. Noble, even.
But let’s be honest. The demolition industry is already a world leader in recycling. And besides, the biggest waste in demolition and construction isn’t something you can sort into a recycling bin. It isn’t measured in tonnes or litres. It’s invisible, corrosive, and it multiplies faster than paperwork in a health and safety audit.
Because while we wring our hands about the waste of bricks, steel, and fuel, we quietly ignore the daily avalanche of wasted time, wasted money, wasted people, wasted energy, and wasted goodwill. The kind of waste no one photographs for sustainability reports, but everyone on site knows all too well.
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